


His Bloody Scars

by BJW, jason-maryfreakenpoppins-todd (BJW)



Category: Batman - Fandom, DC Universe, Jason Todd - Fandom, Red Hood - Fandom, Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Spoiler - Fandom, stephanie brown - Fandom
Genre: Action, Adult Content, Blood and Violence, Deaths, Drama, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Gen, Gotham City - Freeform, Love Triangles, Love affairs, Mild Sexual Content, Other, Pregnancy, Torture, Violence, adult controversial topics/will apply warning before chapter, batfamily
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2018-04-30 08:27:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 157,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5156969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BJW/pseuds/BJW, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BJW/pseuds/jason-maryfreakenpoppins-todd
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Stephanie Brown struggles to be accepted by Batman, a strain is placed on her friendship with Tim. But before things get better, tragedy strikes and one of the bat-family members is gravely injured. Only time will tell if they will recover. During the wake of the tragedy, Stephanie's life takes another turn as she sets out on a mission to find the assailant of her loved one. The suspicions are high and the estranged member of the bat-family, Red Hood, is the number one suspect in the attack on a family member. But maybe his side of the story is true, and he was just trying to save his brother, but the evidence points to otherwise. During her personal quest to find the truth, an unexpected turn takes place and Stephanie finds herself feeling a wild attraction for this bad-boy. And that attraction gets her into something she didn't plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Heard the Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I notice I have a some grammatical errors I've been overlooking. I hope you can look past them and still enjoy the story. :)

I had heard about him, the Red Hood. He was a cruel vigilante, ruthless, and dangerous. It was late one night when Batman warned me, “Be careful. The Red Hood might show up.” when we were investigating some drug traffickers. I heeded his warning. I knew his name was Jason Todd and he used to be Robin before the Joker tortured and killed him. No one would explain how it is he's still alive, when in fact he had died. 

Then finally Tim started to tell me once we were alone in the room.

“When Jason came back. He told everyone that Talia took his body and dipped him into the Lazarus pit and brought him back to life. But Talia told another story. She said he crawled out of his own grave. Which could only be explained as a supernatural event? He was still suffering from his wounds when he came back to this world. He was aimlessly wandering the streets not able to remember who he was due to the brain damage from being tortured with a crowbar. Then somehow he wound up in Talia's home and she restored his health by the Lazarus pit.”

“Why would Bruce not tell me that when I asked?” I said.

“I-I don't know, Steph. Bruce doesn't really like talking about it... Jason believes deeply that Bruce resents him for being alive because Bruce thought it was wrong. He even said so. He told Jason that it wasn't natural. It was defying the laws of nature.”

“But Bruce is right, isn't he?” 

Tim looked at the table in front of him. “Well... Yes it wasn't natural, but it wasn't Jason's choice to come back to life either. For Bruce to try in convince him his existence on earth is wrong- well, you might as well tell him to correct it by killing himself. Trust me. Jason could easily buy into that. That's why I'm worried about him. My point of view is the minority in the family simply because Jason has lashed out at members of the family. Physically harming them.”

“So he is a rabid dog just like Dick said? Didn't he hurt you too once?”

“Yes... but-”

“Then why do you defend him?”

“Because... he died. That's sure to mess with you, especially if you were dead for as long as he was. I honestly don't think Jason can help his moments of rage. He has a bad case of PTSD. I don't get why everyone else doesn't have sympathy for his situation?”

“Same could be said as to why you do have sympathy for him after everything he's done.”

He thought about it for a moment. “fair enough... But have you ever seen... the scars, Stephanie?”

“No, I've only been in the same room as him once, and he and Bruce were having a very heated conversation. Summed up to them both saying 'stay the hell out of my way'... Frankly, I couldn't wait for him to leave. He was pretty scary. I thought any moment he was going to start shooting us. I hid behind Bruce like a coward.”

“Well, Bruce is right about one thing, you should stay away from him. He deeply resents the whole Batman-sidekick thing. The reason he fought me was that he thought he was knocking sense into me. It wasn't for selfish or jealous reasons. None the less, Steph. If your paths do cross, don't give him any reason to fight you. If he says you're messing around with his territory or foiling his plans. Just walk away. It's better to have Bruce mad at you than him.”

I frowned at this. I wasn't sure why Tim is defending him when he thinks he's so dangerous. “okay, fine.” I said anyways.

Later in the cave.

“Stephanie.” Bruce's deep voice resounded. “I need your help tonight.”

I perked up excited that Batman was finally letting me work. He was always keeping me on the side line, or giving me the least dangerous task to do. I wasn't sure if it was because he thought I sucked, or because he has something else against me. I know I need more training, but still, I wish he would just tell me specifically what I need to work on.

“Stephanie?” He interrupted my thoughts.

“uh, yeah?”

“Can you handle that?”

I froze for a moment, realizing I didn't hear anything he said. “Yeah, I can handle it. No problem.” I said, and then my stomach got a tight feeling. This is the first time in a month he's called me to arms and I probably just blew it. I started to panic now. Not having the slightest clue what I was told to do, but I couldn't ruin this opportunity that Batman was giving me to finally go out and fight crime. So I don't tell him I wasn't paying attention.

“What are you waiting for? Go.”

I nodded and then grabbed Tim's arm as he was walking off and whispered. “Tim, what am I supposed to do again?”

Tim grinned at me. “He told you to go to the ship yard at west main street with him. You're going to be his back up tonight. You're supposed to observe the-” Tim's whispering was abruptly interrupted by Batman who was getting in his bat mobile.

“Are you coming or not, Stephanie?” He said sounding cranky.

I gave Tim a nervous look as I headed to the Bat-mobile and hopped in. 

Seven minutes later of Batman's high speeds and reckless driving we finally arrived near the docks. Batman jumped out of the car. 

“Now don't do anything until you see my cue. Got it?”

“Got it.” I said, while screaming in my mind to just tell him 'No. I don't got it'. What cue was he talking about? How did I miss so much in that moment of absentmindedness.

We parted ways and I ran down to the loading dock and climbed onto one of the shipping containers. I laid on my belly watching as the the thugs were loading the containers with boxes and crates of illegal guns and drugs. I looked around to see if Tim had joined our presence yet and if I could see Batman anywhere, but there was nothing. 

I sat there patiently for a good twenty minutes wondering if I had missed the cue. I started getting anxious. “Damn, I really blew this.” Suddenly there was gun fire in the distance. I lift my head to see where it was coming from and wondering if that was my cue. I couldn't see anything but the flashes of a machine gun behind a shipping container.

I got to my feet and ran on top of the shipping containers closer to the battle. I leaped over the gaps between each shipping container trying to be as quiet as possible. I got down on my hands and knees and crawled to a spot that I would be able to see the action going on below. There was a bunch of thugs battling each other. It was bloody. A gang war of each side consisting of an army of about thirty men, more or less. Then suddenly a different type of gun rang out and one, two, three, four, five, men dropped dead almost as fast as you could count and all from the same side, penguins side.

The shots were coming from behind me and above. A building that was a mile away and really tall. I realized I was in the cross fire, but luckily the sniper seemed to not notice me, or maybe they did, but just didn't care. I covered my head with my hands as a futile attempt of protecting myself, in case the sniper was planning on shooting me next. 

The thugs were now fleeing and the other side stayed behind raising their guns above their heads and cheering at their takeover. I tried to sneak a peek. I moved slowly to not draw any attention in the shadow that I was in. I heard another shot fired from the sniper gun behind me and the bullet whizzed by me, missing by a few feet. It might have been a stray bullet. The thugs were all looking my way now, but past me to the building far off. They were just as shocked as me. Batman or Red Robin must be battling that sniper. I scooted backwards and once I was far enough away from the thugs view I climbed down and ran towards the building that the sniping was coming from. I pulled out my grappling gun and shot it up to the top and felt my stomach be pulled downwards as I defied gravity. It was a thrill.

I came to the top and climbed over. Not sure what I was expecting to find. I heard two people talking, so I hid behind the door that opened up onto the roof. Trying to eaves drop. I peaked around the corner and saw a few yards away, a tall and athletically built man whose back was facing me. He had the sniping gun strapped to his back. He was talking to a smaller and also athletically built younger costumed guy. I got a better look now and to my surprise it was Red Robin.

“I don't care what Batman says. I told him once. If he tried to stop me again I would treat him with absencence of sentimentality and handle him the way I handle any other hero who tries to stop me.”

“Which is what exactly?” Red Robin said. It donned on me who the taller man was. It was Red Hood. I could see him more clearly now with my second peek. 

Red Hood paused for a moment. “I'm not a fan of killing self-righteous heroes. But that doesn't mean I won't.” 

“Yeah right, Jason. We both know that threat is futile.”

“Oh really?... I'm a man of my word.”

“Yes, you are. But you're also not an evil-blood-thirsty killer.”

The Red Hood chuckled. “I think those thugs down there would beg to differ.”

Tim just glared at Jason's callousness. “I know you want everyone to think you're blood-thirsty, but I know better. You're not evil, Jason! I know you not.”

“Tch... I don't get you, Tim. Why are you--”

I moved my position knocking some gravel around and causing the Red Hood to stop talking. I leaned back so they wouldn't see me and then there was a moment of silence. I was fighting the urge to curse out loud at my clumsiness. 

It was still quiet as I slowly made my way to the edge to take another peek around the corner, but a hand met me and straight toward my face. I flinched backward but was grabbed by the cape and thrown harshly into the open. I was punched in the stomach and thrown up against the edge of the building, I start to fall over the edge head first but I feel the strong man grabs my thigh and cape and pulls me back before I topple over the edge. He pushes me up against the wall roughly. I'm still staring down at the pavement several stories below. He grabs my arm and squeezes it into a painful and restricting position. It felt like it was about to break if I did so much as breath.

“Stop! Jason! Let her go!” Tim called out running to my rescue. I try to hide my discomfort but I still let out a whine as I get vertigo for a moment from looking down at the far distance below and being thrown around.

“You spying on us, kid?!” He said, with a mean ferocity in his tone. Tim pulls on his arm, trying to get him to release me.

“ah I'm... Spoiler! And... I'm about to spoil all your plans, Red Hood~” I said, then realizing how cheesy it sounded, especially since I was in no physical position to go through with my threat. Red Hood was leaning over my shoulder and I could hear his breathing through his mask. He paused for a moment and then started chuckling at my pathetic threat. 

At this point, I wasn't sure which I was more mad about. Him holding me in a painful arm lock, or him making fun of me. He pushed my arm further back to cause me more pain. I let out an embarrassing whine.

“Jason!!” Tim sounds more agitated now as he pulls harder on him, trying to free me from his grip. He let me go and then pushes me a little, as an aggressive gesture. I pull my arm back around into a natural position and turn around to face them both. Tim guides me with his hands as if to comfort me.

“So, this is your girlfriend?”

“What!” I was stunned by the remark from Red Hood. Had Tim been telling people we're dating? We're not. We're just friends who sorta like each other more than that secretly, but still... just friends.

Tim's face flushes red. “No, Jason. She's a friend.”

“Oh, yeah?... The 'Friend' that you like more than a friend, and then she turned into your adorable little sidekick. That friend?” He harassed. 

My eyes grew big with disbelief. Sidekick? Is that what Tim's been telling people? Now I feel really angry. Tim saw my expression and quickly tries to defuse Jason's comment. “No! Jason, stop! It's not true, Steph.” he said facing me now. “I never said that.”

“Not directly.” Jason said, sounding as if he was smiling under his helmet. He crossed his arms and stood back hoping for some drama, no doubt. I was certainly not going to indulge him.

Tim gave me a shy glance. A few awkward moments go by. Tim was looking increasingly more embarrassed and red. I was rubbing my sore arm and scowling. Jason seems to just be waiting for one of us to break the silence--professing our love for each other, which was not going to happen. Not on my part anyway. 

I tried not to look at Tim. Trying to ensure he doesn't break into any kind of confession. I also tried not to look at Jason. Afraid if I showed him attention, he would feel more welcomed to harass our emotions further for his own amusement. So I stared at the nothingness between them. 

Once it was evident we weren't going to break, Jason broke the silence. “Well, you two are cute together. I'll try to make it to the wedding. But right now I have places to go, people to kill... Batman's life to fuck.” He said, with a gruff voice. He walked to the edge of the building and pulled out his grappling gun.

“Jason-!” Tim started, but Jason ignored him and was gone. Tim let out a loud sigh. “What are you even doing up here, Spoiler? You were supposed to be watching Batman's back.”

“I heard the commotion, so I came to check it out. Red Hood almost shot me!”

“No, he didn't. He talks mean but he wasn't going to shoot you.”

“There was a bullet that buzzing by my head, Tim! And then he almost broke my arm! So you can't tell me that he-”

“I almost shot you!”

“What?”

Tim sighs again. “That stray bullet. That was my fault. He was aiming for overkill, and I tackled him to stop him. I didn't know you were down there so close to the battle! Then Jason was yelling at me! for causing him to almost shoot you!”

“What?... For real?” I started to wonder if Tim was lying to me. After the way Jason acted around me, I highly doubt that he actually cared in the slightest about my well being, but judging by Tim’s face, he looks really upset. I don't think I've seen him look like this before.

“You were supposed to have your eyes on the shipping containers that were being unloaded.” Tim started to sound angry. “Not be watching a fight! Spoiler, you do this to often. You weren't listening to anything Batman says. I thought at first it was just because you were green, but now I'm seeing what Batman's talking about... Maybe he's right. Maybe you're not cut out for this.”

My heart started to ache. So that's what Batman was thinking about me. “I knew it!... You said that it was normal. That all of you started out on monitor duty. But that's just a lie. Batman really doesn't think I'm good enough. He thinks I'll never be good enough.” I fought back a tear of grief and depression. I waited for Tim's sensitive side to change the mood and try to comfort me, but he doesn't.

“Just... go home, Stephanie. Take the night off. I'll let Batman know. I'll tell him you got sick, or something.” Then he turned and walked away.


	2. I Saw Your Scars

Two days later. I was at my cheap apartment getting ready to spoil criminal plans. I thought since Bruce and Tim don't think I'm A-team material, I'll just go back to doing things the way I did them before. I did fine before I met Batman, I don't want his help so I put all his gadgets on the table. I grab the comm link to add to the pile, but hesitate. I held it in my hand and put it into my utility belt and then pulled out my old police monitor and listened for any crime activity going on. It was a pretty quiet tonight. Almost too quiet.

I went down to Crime Alley to see if I could hear any juicy gossip about some criminal plans needing to be spoiled. The conversations ranged from stupid, boring, to disgusting. I hid behind a dumpster as two thugs stop to talk about their crime bosses.

“Yeah, Penguin was about to shoot that guy right in the face. But then that new psychopath showed up.”

“Who? Joker?”

“Nah, dude. The Hood guy.”

“Ha ha! Yeah?”

“Yeah. He started trashing up the place. Old Cobblepot got real mad. Man. You should'a been there. It was a riot.”

“Heard you got your leg broken in three places and shot in the shoulder by the Hood. And only three of yuh guys made it out alive, including old Wabblepot.”

“...Yeah. Like I said. You should have been there.”

A phone starts ringing. “Yeah boss?... Yeah sure thing.”

“Is it time?”

“Yep. Lets go.”

I snooped around the corner, low to the ground, starting to follow them when there was a noise above me. Someone leaps from one roof over the alley way to the other roof. That definitely wasn't a cape. Only one I figured that could be was Red Hood. He must be up to something, probably something bad.

I climbed the fire escape as fast as I could and then saw Red Hood running in the distance, several buildings ahead. I hesitated to follow. I don't know what I would do if he sees me, but I guess I'll just have to make sure he doesn't. I followed after him.

I saw him climb a fire escape to the top of a really tall building and then climb in to a sky light. It took me a minute to get over to the building and then I jumped a large distance to that same fire escape. I figured Red Hood might have his eyes on the sky light that he went through, so I chose to enter through an air vent on the side of the building on the eighth floor.

It was a tight fit. I started crawling deeper into the vent with angst as it started to get claustrophobic. I finally came to an exit, but it was to my left and about six feet away from me. Only problem was, I couldn't get my body turned so that I could get around the corner. I struggled for a good minute trying to get on my side so I could bend that direction. I started heading the right direction now, but I was moving as slow as a snail.

I heard a noise at my head where the vent opens and someone pulled off the lid. The top of my head was about three feet from the opening, so I frantically tried to scoot back and then froze when I saw a gloved hand reaching in, and then I saw a red hoodie, and then the red faced mask followed into my sight. Red hood froze as soon as he saw me. 

I gave a embarrassed smile. “hey.” This was the last way I wanted to be caught by the Red Hood.

The width of his shoulders were the length plus a half of the length of the vent. There was no way he was getting in, which made me wonder why is he opening the vent. He brought something into my view. He was holding a small bomb looking object in his hand and then he flaunted it at me and set it in the vent with me.

“Wait! Don't!” I whispered my exclamation. He bent out of sight and then came back into my view grabbing the small bomb and pulling it out of the vent, and then with his other hand reaching in and grabbing me by the hair. “Ow!” He pulled me out easily. Once my head came out of the vent I saw I was seven feet off the ground. Reaching up and over his head, he grabbed me under my arms and pulled me out the rest of the way. I was relieved to be out of that cramped place.

“What the hell are you doing here, Spoiler?” He whispered, as he set me on my own two feet.

“Spoiling your plans, duh.”

“No. You're not spoiling my plans. My moral compass is spoiling my plans.” He said, and then turned back around and stepped on a tool box and put the mini bomb deep down into the vent.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“None of your business. Why don't you do us both a favor and get lost.” He started to walk off and I followed him, because there was only one way to go. We came to another hallway and he turned right. I looked left, then right, and then followed him again.

“Are you gonna blow up this whole building?” 

He glanced over his shoulder at me. “No. That would be too easy.”

“Then why were you planting a bomb?”

“It's-... Just some insurance.”

“Ha! I didn't take you as the cautious type.” I continued to follow him while I looked around the place. He suddenly turned around and I slammed into his body and pulled back looking up at him and gave an embarrassed laugh. I could feel him glaring at me behind his mask.

“Why are you still here?”

“This is my case, Red Hood. If you need another one, I'm sure Batman would be thrilled to assign you one.” I said, and then thought maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be antagonizing him, but instead of backing off a little, I stick my chin up and step closer to him as if to challenge him.

“... Hmm.” His response was a lot more docile than I expected. He turned back around and I followed him down the hall. “Just don't get in my way.” He said, and then took off in to a run. I followed again.

He went around the corner and out of sight. I picked up my speed so not to lose him. I ran around the corner and smacked right in to him again. He grabbed my arms and pushed me back. “You wanna help? Go into the vent right up there.” He pointed to a small vent at the dead end. “It leads directly into another room. Wait in there until I get in position on the other side of the building. As soon as you hear gun fire you can join in on taking these losers out, Okay?”

“... Why don't you go in there and I'll go around?”

“Because I can't fit.”

I looked back over at the vent. "Fine.”

We both went over to the vent and he gave me a boost up. I climbed in and crawled toward the other opening. He popped his head up. “Remember, don't do anything at all until you hear gun fire.”

“Yeah yeah yeah. I got it. Geesh! You're worst than Batman.” I think I heard him laugh.

I looked down into the room through the vent. The place was full of bags of money. No one was there and the door to the room was shut. I opened the vent and climbed out. It was pretty hard getting out considering I didn't have a lift back down.

I squatted down and waited patiently for Red Hood to get to the other side of the building and start his assault. I was listening to the thugs on the other side of the door. A few more moments go by, I tried to peek through the keyhole to see how many thugs were there. There was about twenty. A new guy came and joined the rest and barking orders. I figured Red Hood had to be ready by now.

“Fill her up.” A thug said and then the door to the room I was in was being opened. I leaned up against the corner expecting to hear Red Hood jump in guns blazing. Five thugs came in the room and one noticed me instantly.

“Hey!!” He pointed his gun at me, but I kicked it out of his hand. Another tried to grab me and I gave him a knuckle sandwich right in the teeth. The third did grab me and threw me out into the other room. I looked up and around at the circle of thugs who were armed mostly with baseball bats.

“uh-oh! What's a pretty girl like you doing out here by yourself? You weren't trying to steal from us were you?” The boss man said reaching over to touch my face, but I slapped his hand.

“Now would be a good time for your back up, Red Hood!!” I yelled to no where in particular. 

All the thugs looked at each other and starting to look nervous at the mention of Red Hood. They all turned there backs on me with there guns and bats at the ready. I couldn't help but feel majorly insulted.

They looked around nervous for about a minute as I got to my feet, but no Red Hood came out.

“whuh? Where is he?” The boss man turned back to me. “You wouldn't be calling wolf would you Darlin?”

“Hood?!” I said, as all the thugs started to face me again with big grins on their faces. No doubt they were thinking I was lying. At the very same time, I came to the realization that Jason had set me up. “That Bastard.” I grumbled under my breath. All the thugs were smiling maliciously and closing in.

“HOOD!?!” I screamed really pissed now.

“Yeah. I don't think he's comin' baby girl.” With that said, the fight broke out.

Five minutes later, I was starting to get tired and it was more of a 'keep away' instead of 'tag'. I managed to take six guys out, but there was still a long way to go. Every time I tried to get to a door someone would get in front of it to block it and then I would head another way.

I felt furious with Red Hood for ditching me like that. I couldn't believe he'd do that. I guess Tim was wrong and I was right. Red Hood really doesn't give a crap.

I continued to fight and finally got my hands on a bat. I started swinging for their heads and finally, the fight was getting fair. I gradually took them out one by one. Unfortunately, I did get punched around a few times, but eventually it was just me and their boss man. He looked afraid as I headed toward him. He backed away.

“What's the matter? Afraid your darlin's gonna kick your ass?” I said, and then smacked him on the head hard knocking him out.

I ran to the door and saw a stair case that went up to the roof. That's where I decided was the safest rout. I opened the door and ran out on to the roof and then leaned forward to catch my breath.

“You really could handle that yourself.”

I turned around to see Red Hood leaning against the chimney.

“I thought you were just lying about it being 'your case'.” He said.

“You bitch!” I said to him, “You knew they were going to open that door didn't you? You set me up! I could have died!”

“If you're worried about that, kid. Then you're in the wrong business.”

“I never would have gone into a room full of thugs like that! I wasn't prepared and you--”

“Relax! Why do you think I'm still here? You may be an annoying pest, Spoiler. But I don't want you dead.” he folded his arms.

I thought about it for a moment. Even if he did stick around to make sure I didn't get killed, it doesn't change the fact that it was cruel. Then the door to the roof swung open and Red Hood and I looked over as a bunch of gunned men came running toward us.

“I take it back. You didn't handle it.” He scoffed, and then pulled out his knife and engaged in battle. 

He clearly could handle their threat, as I dodged some heavy fire and then started kicking and punching anyone I could. I kicked another guy to the ground and then looked toward Red Hood to see how he was doing. The gunned men prioritized him over me and a group was surrounding him, but he was handling it just fine, and honestly, I was glad I wasn't their priority.

Jason threw his knife at me. I gasped as it flew by my head and smacked into someone behind me. I turned around seeing a guy drop his own knife and fall dead to the ground with Red Hood's knife in his head. I was shocked, but quickly got my head back in the game and used a move Tim had taught me a few weeks ago to disarm a thug.

Almost all the bad guys were down, right when someone hit me in the face. I started to fall backwards, but they pulled me forward and then gave me a big push. I stumbled backwards and lost my balance and for a second, everything slowed down right before I tipped over the edge. I couldn't believe it was happening.

“Spoiler!” Red Hood shouted as he ran toward me. 

I reached my arms outward hoping to be able to grab something as I started falling. Then Red Hood jumped over the side of the building only seconds behind me. He dived head first as I reached out to him. He grabbed my arm pulling me up to him and then we twirled downwards to the pavement. 

He tried reaching for the wall to grab hold of something, but the wall was a couple feet too far from his arm span. “I don't have my grapple!” He yelled as he felt around my hips trying to find mine.

“Me either!” I started screaming as the revelation set in that we are really going to die from an ten story fall.

Red Hood pulled away from me and then lifted his leg kicking me in the stomach with all his force, sending me crashing against the wall and pushing himself further from it. I desperately grabbed at the wall, slowing my fall and finally my hand grabbed a window ledge. I clang to it with all my strength and then I heard a loud thump. I looked down. I was two stories high and the Red Hood was laying on his back, motionless.

“Hood?!” I said, but there was no sign of life. I hesitated for a moment before I let go of the window ledge and fell two stories to the ground. It hurt like hell, but I was unbroken. I stood up and ran to Red Hood. 

“Hood?” I got down next to him. I couldn't tell if he was still alive or not. I reached to his neck trying to find a pulse, but didn't feel one. I wasn't sure if it was because of his clothing being in the way. “Nonono. Don't be dead.” I tugged at his helmet, trying to find a button that would open it so I could take it off and see if he was breathing. I found the button and pushed it. There was a clicking noise and then it opened. I took it off and gasped.

About a quarter of his face had burn marks and gashes on it. There was one large gash over his left eye and it took up half of his eyebrow. The right side of his face had the worst of the mild burn marks and the skin was scarred mostly along the hair line. His hair on his right side grew in a different hue from his scarred scalp underneath.

“Why would you do that?” I said to him and then put my ear up to his mouth and felt a faint breath. “Jason?” I started shaking him. He let out a moan and then his eyes started to open. His eyes were such a beautiful green color, it was breath taking. 

“Jason?” I said again. It still wasn't registering with him. He started to come to and looked at me with a frown on his face. I smiled and sighed with relief. “I have no idea how you're not splattered all over this pavement.” I said, as I continued to hold his head off the pavement. 

He took a deep breath in and it resounded in pain and the expression on his face matched. He breathed heavily in and out trying to catch his breath. He became more responsive, and then looked at me with a sudden look of horror as a hand went to his face feeling that his mask was gone.

“You're okay, Jason. Why did you do that?” I said.

He sat up looking angry now. “Where's my- Ahhh!” He grabbed his rib cage and started to sound in deeper pain. I dug around in my utility belt for a comm link. I found it and put it in my ear. Jason was trying to get to his feet. I guided him with one hand and held the comm link with the other.

“Tim? Tim? I need some back up.”

“...What are you doing in Crime Alley?” Tim said, in my ear after turning on my GPS.

“Never mind that. Get here as fast as you can. Jason's hurt. He took a nasty fall.” I said.

“You're with Jason?!” I ignored the question. 

Jason was trying to put his helmet back on to hide his face, but his hands started shaking and he dropped it. It rolled a few feet away.

“Jason don't.” I said, pulling my comm link away from my ear as I watched him try to get back up on his feet and then he started limping away all hunched over and groaning. I ran after him and grabbed his arm trying to help him walk. “Jason. Tim is on his way.” I tugged on his arm to get him to stop.

“Get the hell away from me!” he said, ripping his arm away from me. 

I stood back for a second, shocked. “I'm only trying to help.”

“I don't need your help.” he said slurring his speech. 

I followed him pacing six or seven feet behind him. “Where are you going?”

He made a growling sound as he stubbornly kept walking. Then he lost his balance and fell down on the pavement. I tried to break his fall, but failed. He let out a louder moan as he rolled to his stomach and held his head off the ground and attempted to get up again. I could hear a cry working it's way to the surface.

“Jason... If you feel like crying, it's okay to cry in front of me.” I said, trying to make him more comfortable, but he gave me a death glare.

“Why won't you just get lost?!” He said and then gritted his teeth in pain.

“Because... Now I owe you.” I hoped he would understand that. Since he was a street kid, like me.

“You can pay me back by leaving me the hell alone!!” he shouted again.

“Okay.” I stood back surrendering my case. He just continued to take deep breathes and tried to hush his groaning. Several minutes went by in silence. He was still laying on his stomach and resting his head on his arm. I started to think he fell asleep, since he hadn't moved in a long time.

“Jason?... are-- are you awake?” 

He didn't respond. I was almost positive he was asleep. This really can't be a good sign. I started to feel more worried. Just then, Tim pulls up in the bat-mobile and hops out.

“Is he okay?” He asked as he ran towards us.

“I don't know. He won't let me help him. I think he's unconscious now.”

Tim got down on the ground next to Jason checking his pulse.

“Give me a hand... And carefully.” he said. He lifted Jason's arm around his neck and I took the other one. He was a lot heavier then he looked as me and Tim struggled to carry him back to the bat-mobile.

 

Back at the bat cave. Jason was still unconscious as we treated him. He was mostly undressed, none of his junk was showing, but it was still a lot of skin and it made me uncomfortable. I don't know if it was his muscular build, or all the scars that made him look manly and sexy, but I avoided looking anywhere but at his face, because I sorta felt like a perv. 

His body was badly bruised, with a few broken ribs and a few dislocated vertebra's among other things. His bruises were so bad, that they had to give him some medicine to keep him from bleeding internally. Bruce said the only way he survived was because his body armor and helmet had shock absorbency.

Later, I told Bruce and Tim everything that had gone down that night, but I skipped the part where Jason had ditched me. Also, instead of leaving my grapple gun, I said I forgot it. I knew that wasn't going to help my case, but figured I would get in bigger trouble with the truth that I was really just being rebellious.

“I'm just glad you're alright, Stephanie.” Bruce said, and went down to sickbay to check on Jason.

Tim gave me a crooked smirk, “So... What are you leaving out?”

“Well... He tricked me into waiting in a room that he knew they would eventually go in. And then once they found me, he left me there to fight the gang by myself.”

Tim raised in eyebrow. “Wow. What a jerk...” We both started chuckling.

Alfred came down the stairs and spoke to Batman and then came over to us. “I have some hot coco on the stove, if you two would like some.” Alfred said. 

Me and Tim grinned at each other and raced up the stairs to the manor. We went into the kitchen and got ourselves hot coco and then headed to the lounge room. We sat down and started talking like old times. Then I noticed a picture frame sitting on one of the couch side tables. I grabbed it and studied the photo. It was a picture of what I assumed to be Jason. He was about fourteen years old. His hair was dark and his eyes were that beautiful color of green. I started to grin at the sight of his lightly freckled face. He looked like a sweet kid, and he was pretty cute too. Tim sat there watching me for several moments, but didn't say any thing.

“This is Jason, right?”

“Yeah, I think that was him at baseball practice. Bruce said Jason had a lot of energy. He'd fight crime, do his home work and then play baseball, or skate board all day.”

I traced his face in the picture with my finger. “He was really handsome... Why did the Lazarus pit not heal all his scars? Or are they new ones?”

“He has a couple of new ones. But I guess the Lazarus pit could only restore so much.”

“...He's ashamed of his scars, isn't he?” I looked up at Tim now.

“Yeah. It seems like it, but he has never said so.”

“But his actions have.”

We both sat there a minute looking at the old photo. I started to feel really sorry for him. His scars are a constant reminder of his traumas. He's clearly still insecure about them, even though it's been a few years.

Tim was staring at me, but I was still staring at the photo. “Why did you go to Crime Alley tonight anyways, Steph?”

“It doesn't matter, Tim. I was just seeing what it might be like to go solo again.”

“Solo?... Why?”

“Because--” I set the picture down. “I'm sick of you and Bruce judging me all the time. And after tonight. Me beating up all those guys by myself, it felt awesome! I felt powerful and free. Honestly?... it was refreshing not having you and Bruce watching and judging my every move.” I said.

“We're only trying to protect you.”

“That's just it, Tim. I don't need protection. I've done fine fighting crime on my own before I met you.”

Tim looked down trying to carefully choose his words. “Bruce says you're on monitor duty again.”

“Oh yeah.” I stood to my feet, “Why doesn't he just say that to my face, instead of always talking through you?”

“Stephanie. You're grounded.” Bruce's deep voice came from behind me. I turned around to face him.

“What?” I said, wondering how it went from monitor duty, to being grounded.

“You didn't have any of the weapons that I had given you on you... You weren't just trying to go solo. You went out there tonight out of defiance of me!” Bruce said, starting to look really angry. 

I glanced at Tim, but he just avoided eye contact with me.

“You went against everything I told you. I told you never to go out on your own. Always have your equipment set. And never get involved with the Red Hood. But you disobeyed all of my rules. Again! This isn't a game, Stephanie. You could have died tonight! I'm not going to be responsible for endangering your life. So... As of now, you're off duty.”

“Until when?!”

“Until you learn to follow my rules... Until you pay attention during your lessons. Or until you simply grow up! Tonight is on you. Red Hood almost died trying to save you, Stephanie!”

“What! How is that on me?! I didn't ask him to jump off a building for me!”

“Because that never would have happened if you hadn't followed him. You didn't have your grapple gun and I have no doubt as to why.”

“Jason didn't have his either!” I felt bad for saying that, but I was desperate to soften my case.

“Yes, he didn't... But that's not the point.”

“So, Red Hood sold me out that quickly, huh? What did he tell you?”

Bruce calmed down a little bit. “He didn't tell me anything. He's still out cold.”

I felt betrayed by Bruce, and even Tim, for just sitting there not standing up for me. Tim's silence was him agreeing with Bruce. My eyes started to burn as they filled with bitter tears at the injustice. “Fine. No need to ground me. I quit.” I headed towards the door and turned back around. “And I'm still going to be Spoiler!” I walked away. 

Tim started after me, but Bruce stopped him and said something. 

“And by the way, Tim... since you're nothing but Bruce's loyal lap dog. Screw you both!” I said and then slammed the front door. I was glad I said it to Bruce, but less glad I said it to Tim.


	3. The Wounded Ones

Four weeks later I was home getting ready for bed when Tim called again for the trillionth time. I hadn't returned his calls, but for some reason I chose to answer. “What do you want, Tim?”

“I just ... want to make sure you're okay. You haven't answered any of my calls, or the door.”

“That's because I don't want to see you. Besides, I have a life!” I said, even though it wasn't true.

“Listen, Steph. I'm sorry I didn't stand up for you. I thought that maybe it would do you some good to have sometime off, y'know? Clear your head. But now... I see how I hurt you, and I'm really sorry for that. I want you to come back to the cave. Batman does too. We need to talk...” 

Tim's apology was sweet, but I was still debating on if I should agree or not. Tim continued, “Please, just... come back. Let's talk about it. I was able to convince Bruce that we still need Spoiler.”

He had to 'convince Bruce' that they need me? Should have stopped when you were ahead, Tim.  
“No, Tim. I believe you're sorry. But maybe... it will be nice to try something else. You know? Like a real job. Or school.” I said, not wholly believing what I was saying.

He was silent on the other end. “You're always welcomed back, Steph. I don't want you to be mad at me. And I definitely don't want to lose your friendship.”

“We're still friends, Tim.” I said.

Tim was silent.

“Bye, Tim.”

“Bye, Steph... S-”

I hung up the phone before Tim had a chance to ask me any questions, knowing that the questions would turn into a two hour long heart to heart with Tim Drake. I'm not making fun of him, but sometimes Tim cares too much about people. He's always trying to fix relationships and people. I admire is compassion, but sometimes, somethings are broken and when you try to fix them, they still just don't work properly.

The next day, Alfred called and invited me for brunch. I told him I was busy, which was a lie, but still he insisted. I finally gave in.

I rang the doorbell to the manor. Alfred opened it. “Miss Brown. Do come in.”

“Hey Alf. Hope you don't mind I don't stay very long. I got a lot to get done to-”

He cut me off, “No one else is here, Miss Brown. Come to the breakfast room.” I followed him into the breakfast room where he had prepared a beautiful brunch. “Have a seat... Tea or coffee?”

“Chamomile tea, please.” We both took a seat as he poured hot water into two tea cups. “So... How's Jason recovering?”

“He was recovering well. But I haven't seen him in a few weeks. We kept him sedated for a couple days. Just until we were sure he was out of danger. We knew as soon as he was conscious, more or less like a corpse, he would run off. Just like he usually does... and did!” Alfred smirked and raised an eyebrow, “He really doesn't like accepting our help.”

“Well, I'm sure it won't sit well with him once he realizes he's lost more days than he should have.”

“Yes, it won't. He usually finds a way to retaliate. But at least we have the comfort in knowing he's still alive. He'll come back around eventually.” He said, and then sipped his tea. “Master Timothy told me why you haven't been around lately.”

“He did?” I tried not to look too pissed, “For a quiet guy, he sure does talk a lot.”

“Yes, well, he said that he did something he regretted and now you won't return his calls. Or the Batman's for that matter.”

“Did he tell you 'exactly' why?”

“Yes. I think you should know thar you are not alone. All of the Robins have had times where they messed up badly, or been rebellious frequently enough to get themselves grounded. Some more than others...” He looks at me over the brim of his tea cup.

“You mean Jason?”

Alfred started grinning again. “I never said that, Miss Brown.”

“You didn't have to.” We both started to laugh and then sipped our tea.

“My point is, that all you can do is pick yourself back up and try again.”

“Bruce doesn't think I'm good enough, Alfred.”

“That is not true! He knows that you just need more time training. That doesn't mean you're not good enough. You have great potential, Miss Brown.”

I gave Alfred a grateful smile. Alfred; the nicest guy you'll ever meet.

Alfred's watch started buzzing. He looked down at it as a concerned look came over his face. “The emergency alarm was pulled. One of the boys may have been badly hurt.” He stood to his feet and raced to the hidden doorway to the cave. I followed.

“They are one minute out. Give me a hand preparing the medical bay.” he said rushing his words.

My heart started racing, wondering which guy and how badly. I tried to prepare myself for the worst as the elevator doors open and we went down to the bat cave. We raced to the medical bay. We frantically readied everything we could when a loud motor sound came down the tunnel. I ran to the end of the race track waiting for Batman and Red Robin to come to a stop, but instead of the batmobile speeding down the tunnel, it was a motorcycle.

I saw Red Hood and started to wonder how he was able to access the enter codes. Then I felt fearful as the first thing I thought was what Alfred had said earlier about Jason and retaliation.

“Alfred! It's an intrusion!” I called out.

Alfred ran toward me as Red Hood came to a stop, then I noticed he was holding Tim in his arms. For some reason Tim looked so small in his arms. His legs were hanging over on one side and his torso was being held by Red Hood's other arm. They were both covered in blood.

Red Hood got off his bike, letting it crash to the ground as he picked Tim up almost effortlessly and hastened to the medical bay with Tim in his arms. Alfred followed him to the medical bay.

“What happened?” 

“He got shot and then fell two stories down and split his head open.” Red Hood's voice was raspier than usual under his helmet. He laid Tim down on the medical bed and then took off his helmet so he could see better. Tim's face was so covered in blood that I couldn't even tell it was him if it weren't for his costume.

“Are you hurt too, Jason?” Alfred said, because of all the blood he was covered in.

“No, it's Tim's blood.” he spoke hastily.

Alfred called for specific supplies and I tried to grab everything he was asking for, but I wasn't really sure of some of the things he wanted. Jason saw my panicked and confused look on my face. He reached over and grabbed the liquid medicine bottle that was right next to me and handed it to Alfred.

Jason started working his glove off of his one free hand by biting on to the fingers of the glove that was drenched in blood. Tim's blood getting in his mouth didn't seem to bother him as he took off his other glove and reached toward the disinfectant bottle and poured it on one hand at a time. Alfred was trying to help prepare the procedure as Jason carefully exposed the bullet wound. He saw it bubbling and making a funny sound.

“It's sucking!” Jason yelled to Alfred. 

Alfred quickly grabbed a vented chest seal. I stood there horrified, not knowing what to do, or what it meant that it's sucking. Now I understand why Bruce was trying to get me to learn all these medical procedures, but I ignorantly pushed them aside because I told myself that I'm a crime fighter, not a doctor. I didn't think I needed to know much more than CPR, or how to stop the bleeding of different types of wounds.

Jason and Alfred were trying to get Tim hooked to a respirator as Alfred gave me a command to hand him another item that again, I was clueless about. I looked at the table for a minute, reading the titles. I wasn't sure if it was an instrument, or a medicine. Jason looked my way then letting go of what he was doing and pushed me out of the way angrily. He grabbed what Alfred had asked for and handed it back to him.

I took a few feet backwards. I felt absolutely helpless and even guilty. I started to go numb all over and my eye sight was going dim as the machine started buzzing. Jason and Alfred became more frantic and yelling as they started CPR. Tim's body was pulled up and stiffened by the shock of electricity going through his chest. They did it again and again. My heart was pounding in my chest as I started to lose my hearing and fell backwards into unconsciousness before I hit the ground.

I woke up to find myself laying on a bench. I was groggy as I sat up and then remembered what had happened. I stood to my feet and ran to the medical bay. Bruce was sitting in a chair by the bed. I must have been out a long time, because everything was changed. Everything was calm. Bruce had a deep frown on his face and then he looked at me as I neared him. 

I looked at Tim's alive, but unconscious body. His heart beat was calm and study on the monitor screen. He had been cleaned up with a bandage taped over his torso where he had been shot and another one wrapped around his head. There was a thick tube down his throat to help him breathe. My heart throbbed at the sight.

I walked closer and grabbed his hand. “Is he alright?” I said, looking back at Bruce.

Bruce's face was sad looking. “He's... in a coma.”

My eyes filled with tears. “What happened? What went wrong? You're his partner where were you?!” I cried, needing someone to blame. I know I'm being a hypocrite.

Bruce sat back and rubbed his forehead, not wanting to think about it. “He was following orders. He was to watch and wait for me to get in position. Last I heard from him, he said there was a change of plan. He said he spotted Jason and that he was going to let me know what Jason was up to in a minute... After a few minutes, he didn't contact me and I couldn't contact him. I felt like something was wrong, so I left my post to go find Tim, but then I got a call over my comm from Jason, telling me that Tim had been badly injured and he was taking him back to the cave. I asked him how, but he hung up on me... By the time I got back here, Alfred and Jason had pulled him through the worst.”

“Have you asked Jason why he was there?” 

“No. I haven't had the chance yet.”

“So you just let him run off without interrogating him?”

Bruce frowned. “Why would I interrogate him?”

I thought about it and suddenly my suspicion seemed to be without cause. “I don't know. Why did he leave so soon?”

“He didn't. He's upstairs in the manor.”

“Oh...” I looked back at Tim and leaned forward kissing his cheek and then squeezing his hand. “Let me know the moment anything changes.p>

Bruce nodded and just as I started to leave he sighs and looks down at something in the palm of his hand.

I went upstairs. “Hello?” I said, and looked around the seemingly deserted house. “Alfred?”

“Yes, Miss Brown?” Alfred said, from the next room. I frowned at him, wondering why he would washing dishes, but I guess he's stress cleaning.

“Is Jason still here?”

“Yes. He went up to his old room to get cleaned up.”

“Oh... Can you let me know when he's done?”

“He should be done, Miss. That was a few hours ago. He may not even be here anymore. It wouldn't be the first time he slipped past my watchful eye. Check the second floor, third door on the right.”

I went up the stairs and then down the hall to his room. His door was left a crack open which made it more welcoming. I walked up to the door and peeked in. Jason was there. He was wearing casual clothes and sitting on the end of his bed, gazing out the window. He hadn't noticed me. His room was dimly lit by the overcast sky outside. His breathing was shallow and his complexion was pale. I could see the scars on his neck, and on part of his face. For some reason, the whole scene was somewhat spooky, or maybe it's just that 'he' is spooky. I suddenly felt anxiety and unsure why I even came up here in the first place, so I quietly stepped backward to leave.

“Is he doing alright?” Jason said, still staring out the window. 

I felt more compelled to answer rather than flee. “...Bruce says he's stable for now.” 

He jumped to his feet and faced me with a surprised look. “Stephanie? I-uh... thought you were Alfred.”

“ Obviously... You don't seem to like me very much... Maybe it's because you're stuck up.” He wears a look on his face like he doesn't mind if I believe that.

I move closer to him now getting a good look at his face; features and scars alike. I could barely make out that little boy from the picture in him. He was soft looking as a boy, but now he just looks hardened. Perhaps it's his cold-pale skin, or the scars, or the gloomy yet puppy like eyes. He looks tired, and the corners of his lips point down into a permanent yet natural looking frown. I restudied the gashes and burns on his face. I was tempted to ask him how he got the scars, but I know it's insenstive, and I doubt he'd tell me anyway.

A long awkward moment goes by. He becomes increasingly more uncomfortable. Probably because of me staring. He now avoids looking at me, then crosses his arms and moves one of his hands up to his face, as an attempt to cover up as many scars below his eyes as he could, but trying to make it look casual. He wasn't fooling me one bit. I took a deep breath and then walked towards his bed and sat down, trying to make him less uncomfortable. He gave me an annoyed and judgmental look but said nothing. “So this is your old room?” He was watching me as I study the place. “Not too shabby.” I look around more. I get off the bed and go to the corner where his guitar sits on its stand and grab it then return to the bed.

“Why'd you come up here?”

I quickly try to evade the question before it leads to him asking me to leave. “You know any songs?” I said, hoping to win his trust enough so I can ease into my questions about Tim.

He didn't answer, so I strum a few strings and then play a few notes. With a drastically slower version of the song, I start to sing a song that reminds me of him: hoping he will interpret my actions as friendly, “Who's that I see walkin through these woods. Why, it's little red riding hood.”

The frown on his face increased, clearly not liking my taste in music, or maybe it's just him not liking me dragging his name into it.

I continue singing. “Hey there little red riding hood... You sure are looking good... You're everything... a big bad wolf could want.”

If judgmental looks could kill, he just cut my throat. I strum like I was going to start the next verse, but stop because suddenly the Joker popped in my head dressed as the big bad wolf. I set his guitar down.

“Is there something you needed, Stephanie?” he said, with an aloof expression and standing up more sternly.

“There is actually.” I pat the bed for him to sit down so we can talk more comfortably but he ignored the gesture. “I wanted to hear your story of what happened.”

“What?”

“Tim's in a coma. I need to know who did that to him.”

“I don't know what happened. I only found him.”

“Then what's your theory of what happened?... I know your a really smart guy, Jason. There's no way you don't have a list of suspects.”

He remains silent so I try to guess what he might be thinking. He seems to have forgotten about hiding his scars for the moment. Then there was a knock on the door, grabbing both of our attention. “Master Jason? Master Bruce wants to see you down in the cave.”

“What does he want?”

“He didn't say.” 

He stood there a minute before starting to leave the room. He stops next to Alfred and whispers. “Make sure she doesn't touch anything.” He glances back at me, knowing perfectly well I can hear him.

Alfred raises an eyebrow at me. “Miss Brown-” I jump off the bed and run after Jason before Alfred kicks me out. 

“Hold the elevator!” I yelled, running toward the secret elevator to the cave. Jason pushes the button several times trying to make the doors shut faster before I got there. I slid in between the doors just in time. I gave a cheeky smile at my accomplishment while he huffed. The ride down to the cave was even more awkward than the moment in his room. I wasn't sure who was to blame, but it's probably mostly him this time.

I look up at him and stare for a few moments at his profile. He rolls his eyes as he tries to ignore my starring. “So... Are you like my stalker now or something?” he said.

“No, but if it makes you feel any better, I'll be your stalker.”

“Wow. You sure got over Tim fast.” 

“Excuse me?”

“Just calling it how I see it.” He didn't bother to look at me as he pushes the bottom floor button over and over. I roll my eyes at the rude gesture.

“Why did you even bother to stick around, Jason? I was told you hated being around the family. Is Tim like your boyfriend or something?" I hissed. "Or are you just sticking around out of guilt?”

He finally looks at me with a mean glare and then recovers quickly. “Hmm.”

“What?” 

“Tim said you were cute. I thought he was talking about you, but I must have gotten the wrong name.” 

I glare at him as a sly smirk spreads across his face.

Finally the doors open and we both wait for the other to walk out first, but neither moves so we stepped forward at the same time, getting stuck shoulder to shoulder in the elevator's doors. We both squeeze forward, but nothing gives so we both take a step back. I smirk and he was rolling his eyes again and then gestured impatiently for me to go first. I shrugged off the annoyed vibe he was sending me.

“Thanks. You're such an angel, Mister Todd.” I said, bitterly.

Bruce was by a table in sickbay as Jason nears him. “You wanted to see me, Bruce?”

“Yeah. Take a seat.”

I included myself and swing down into a seat and roll across the room on its wheels towards them then scoot over to the meeting. Jason slouches back in his chair and crosses his then glances over at Tim's sleeping body. “Jason...” He didn't know how to start. 

Sensing the topic was going to be deep, Jason looked at me. “Don't you have something better to do?” he said with a sarcastic smile. I mimic his face expression.

Bruce ignored our glaring and opens his hand revealing a single bullet and sets it down on the table next to Jason, so he could observe it. “I need you to be truthful...Isn't this the same kind of bullets you use?”

Jason leans close and looks at it. “Yeah. Why?”

“That's the bullet that was dug out of Tim's chest.”

His face remained unchanged but I can see a hint of discomfort. "So?”

Bruce remains silent.

“What? You think I shot him?...” Jason quickly starts sounding defensive. “If you really think I shot him why don't you just say it?... Say it!..." He tempers himself again before he starts yelling. "Why am I always the bad guy in your eyes, Bruce? You think I'm the only person in the world who uses that kind of ammo?”

“Those bullets are one of a kind and hard to come by unless you have money and connections. You've got money ad you've got connections. You can understand how this might look really bad... I'm sincerely hoping you can disprove the evidence.”

"How, Bruce?... Regardless to if that's mine or not, my prints wont be on it either way. You're just going to have to take my word for it. ...I mean, why would I want to shoot Tim?!” Jason rose to his feet angrily. 

Bruce followed with the same level of anger. “I don't know, Jason! Maybe you shot him out of impulse. Or maybe it was a complete accident! I don't know what to think!..." He lowers his tone to a softer one. "You're good at math, Jason. What are the chances of it being a coincidence?... It doesn't look good, and I can't ignore the evidence... And on top of that, you are getting very touchy about the subject which makes me think-...” Bruce doesn't finish his sentence as he and Jason have a stare down, and I watch with great anticipation for a physical fight to break out, but instead they both calm themselves down drastically.

“Which makes you think what? That I shot that kid for no reason?”

"Maybe in the moment you thought you had a good one... It wouldn't be the first time you did something 'rash'." He said bitterly, and his words have more of in impact on Jason's emotions than I expected was possible. Bruce looks down at the floor possibly regretting what he just said. 

“I didn't shoot him.” he said then turns and walks across the room to his gear. Bruce just stares at nothing and clinches his fist.

“Where are you going?” He said while watching him swing his leg over his motorcycle and then starting it up. He looks back at Bruce before he rides off down the tunnel.

“Do you believe him?” I asked.

“I want to.”

“But you still think he did it?... Is there more to it?” Bruce didn't answer. He looks back at Tim and grabs his hand and holds it in his own. “How do we prove he didn't shoot him, Bruce?... I despise Jason, but even I don't want it to be true that he shot Tim.”

Bruce looks back at me, now looking angry. “I don't know, Stephanie. It's highly unlikely it's someone else who uses that type of ammo. It's very hard to come by and nearly impossible for just any street thug to get their hands on. There's also a chance someone got a hold of Jason's gun and shot Tim. There's also the greater possibility that Jason shot him. Like I said, by accident or not.”

“But why in the world would you think Jason would shoot Tim intentionally? Tim seems to be the only one he actually likes.”

“Because...” Bruce sighed, “Jason has PTSD. He can temper himself fairly well now, but it wasn't always like that. There was a time shortly after he stopped trying to kill me, that I began to understand what was really going on with him. I forbade everyone in the family from having contact with him and if they did, never to be alone with him.”

I start to wonder if he knew Tim was not honoring that wish, but I wouldn't dare mention it.

Bruce continues, “He's come a long way from what he used to be like. But he still has out-burst where he becomes very dangerous and deadly. That's why I told you to stay away from him. He doesn't always have it under control... There's a big possibility he was involved, but I won't know anything for sure until Tim wakes up. And even that isn't for sure... nothings for sure.”

What does he mean? He doesn't think Tim will get his memories back, or that he won't survive? My heart starts to throb.


	4. Sympathy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to give me feedback and/or head canons for this story, or future stories at anytime.

The weeks went by and Tim was still in a coma so we transfered him up stairs to his room and I spent most of my free time in there, watching movies and playing songs on Jason's guitar. Some nights I would fall asleep in Tim's bed next to him. It always felt good to be next to my best friend and I like to think that Tim knows I’m there. Alfred would sometimes catch me and shoo me out of the bed saying it was 'inappropriate', which I really don't get. I helped take care of all Tim's needs even the ones he wouldn't want me helping with, but sometimes Alfred and Bruce needed the help. 

Red Hood had almost entirely disappeared since the accusations against him, but his disappearance made Bruce more suspicious. Jason was nowhere to be found, but the rumors on the street said that Red Hood was still making trouble. Lots of trouble.

Bruce was more anti-social than usual. Alfred grew so concerned for him that he asked me to go out on patrol to keep in eye on him. Of course, Bruce just yelled at me and said I was getting in his way and that I was too inexperienced. After weeks of me not taking 'no' for an answer, we finally started making progress in our working relationship. 

Bruce agreed to farther my training and I was dedicated to learning this time. It was tough and some days I wondered why I wanted to be a vigilante at all. It really doesn't seem to pay off. Especially since most nights are really slow and boring, no-thanks to Red Hood. Despite him being extra sneaky and covering his trail, so not to be confronted by Bruce, he's also been coming down harder on criminals. Crime rates are dropping and so is the over all population of Gotham. I guess Jason isn't handling Tim's coma very well either. 

It was a slow night. Bruce said to go ahead and go home and he would stay out a little later, which I was totally okay with. Bruce isn't one for conversation and I’m not one for brooding. 

I went back to the bat cave; took off my gear and left it in the locker room and then took a shower. Afterward, I headed up stairs to Tim's room. As I neared the door I heard someone talking quietly. I slowly opened the door and peeked in to see Jason sitting in my seat by Tim's bed. I couldn't believe it was him. I stayed as quiet as possible, not sure how to react. He was reading a book out loud to Tim in a hushed nurturing voice. 

Jason paused a moment and set the book down and then grabbed Tim's hand between both of his and brought them up to his lips. “Tim? You're gonna make it through this. I know it...” He said with his raspy, bowery accent sounding thicker than usual, “You gotta wake up, buddy. You can't let this lick yuh... Come on, Tim...You have to.”

He heard the door creak and slowly turned his head to face me and then sighed with relief and looked back at Tim. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to arrest him, or just let him have his visiting rights. 

“Does Alfred know you're here?” I said.

He didn't bother to look at me. “No.”

I walked in and stood at the end of the bed. Jason sat back in his seat and hesitantly glanced at me with a frown on his face and then looked back at Tim again. 

“That's Tim's favorite book.” I nodded toward the book on the bed.

“Yeah. I thought it would be good for him to here someones voice, to assure him he's not alone... It probably doesn't make a difference though.” He gripped Tim's hand tighter, then looks at me in the corner of his eye. “Are you going to tell Bruce I was here?” 

“Tell that old crab? No, but not for your sake... I will tell Alfred though.” 

“Fair enough... I owe you an apology.” he said, as he changed his disposition to a more relaxed one. 

“For what? Ditching me awhile back?”

“No.” I couldn't help but feel his apology just became that much less meaningful. "I'm sorry I was thinking horrible things about you. I was wrong.”

I had to ask myself, what was Red Hood's definition of horrible? For some reason, I felt sorta violated and then flushed bright red. He sees it and then starts to frown at my response. 

“What I mean is... I heard you've been taking good care of Tim. I'm sorry I accused you of not caring enough about him. He liked you a lot, Stephanie... Truth is, I thought he liked you a lot more than you liked him.”

“Oh.” I said, now I feel really guilty because I knew Tim had a crush on me and I didn't feel quite as passionately about him. 

“I was being presumptuous and I'm sorry for that. He's really lucky to have you... as a friend.” 

“Only as a friend?” I said lightheartedly. He gave me a serious look that said 'yes'. I tried not to take it personally. Then I started to wonder how he knew I was taking care of Tim since he's never around. Is Alfred still in contact with him, or has he been spying? I'm betting on the latter. “I get you don't think I'm good enough for Tim... And you'd probably be right. But I wasn't taking care of him because I'm a good person. I wish that was the real reason, but it's not. Truth is... I felt... guilty.” 

“Why?”

“Because, I got mad at him right before he got hurt.” My eyes flooded with tears and my cheeks flushed deeper red with embarrassment. I really didn't want the Red Hood to see me crying, but this was a storm I couldn't contain, so I continued. “I was being stubborn and I didn't talk to him for weeks. I avoided all his phone calls and then when I finally did answer, I told him, out of spite, that I still had no interest in coming back to the cave to work. The very next day he got hurt. And it made me feel... awful. Like I had wronged him and that was the last thing done to him. The last thing he remembered... And I felt so... so guilty.” 

I started sobbing like an emotional wreck. Jason's eyes grew big as my crying escalated. He looked extremely uncomfortable, but remained silent. He looked away from me, probably trying to think of something to say. I was really embarrassed that I told him any of this at all. It seems I'm always making a fool out of myself in front of him, but I desperately needed someone to tell and well, he's probably the only person I know who can't judge me. 

“Listen, Stephanie. If you are up for it I- uh... I have this job that I may have bit off a little more than I can chew... It'd be nice to have someone watch my back tonight.”

I stopped sobbing. “What?”

“Maybe- I don't know- you might like to help?”

My emotional pain subsided as my suspicion of him took over. “Just how stupid do you think I am, Jason?” 

“What? Hey, I know I was an ass last time we worked together. But I'm serious this time. We'd be partners. No foul play, I promise.” 

“Yeah that's reassuring. The word of a Hoodlum.”

He gave me a snobbish look. “Whatever. Just thought I'd ask.”

I'm the kind of girl that loves an adventure and a little danger, Red Hood is both, but I can't help but feel slightly, no, extremely distrusting of him. I was about to double back and say 'hell no baby-cakes' with a lot of sass when I started to think about Tim. I need to find out what really happened to him and Jason is the only lead I really have. This is the chance I've been waiting for. Either he did it, or he can help me piece together who did and help me bring justice to Tim. 

“Fine.” He looked back at me surprised I was changing my mind. “On one condition.” 

“Okay, what?”

“You're going to help me find whoever did this to Tim. Deal?” 

He thought about it and then looked back at me. “Deal.” 

“Cool. When do we start?”

Down in the Bat cave. 

“What is taking so long?!” Jason said while waiting for me to finish gearing up.

I came out from the locker room. “Relax, Red Hood. I'm ready.”

“Yeah. That only took you twenty minutes.”

“Like you could do better?” I said, buttoning the last buttons on my suit.

“I 'did' do better. I lost my patients with you ten minutes ago... What was taking so long anyways? Did you forget to paint your nails and do your makeup?” he hissed.

“Noo.” I said, even though I did put some makeup on. “What's the rush anyway?” 

“What's the rush? Were you listening to anything I told you?”

“Only the stuff that sounded important.” I could hear him huffing and puffing through his mask, and then he stared at me a moment.

“Oh my god, Spoiler.” 

“What?” 

“You did put makeup on.”

I grinned. “Chill, Red. Clearly, you weren't raised with girls. Don't you know we always try to look our best?”

“For who? Criminals?” he scoffed.

I rolled my eyes. I was about to say 'No, not for criminals, Jason Todd' and then bat my eyelashes, but I chose to go with something not obvious. “Whatevs. Are you just gonna stand there complaining? Or are we gonna kick some butt?” I said, running to my bike trying to get ahead start on him. I hopped on my bike and started it up and then there was a loud bang. My bike shut down. “Shit,” I said as I got off my bike to investigate the problem. Red Hood got on his bike and sat there watching me. 

“Blasted thing!” I kicked it.

“Forget it. You can ride with me.”

“No way!” 

“...Why the hell not?”

“Because. I don't feel comfortable with that.”

“Why?” he said, sounding more annoyed.

“Well, how do I know you didn't just sabotage my bike while I was dressing?”

“Why would I do that?”

“I don't know. Maybe you're planning on ditching me on the side of the road at some point... Or maybe, you just want me to ride on your bike so I'll be all pressed up against you and you can cop a feel.”

He stared at me for a few seconds. I don't know what mood he was in thanks to his mask. 

“You are unbelievable, Spoiler.” he said, as he started up his bike. “If you don't come right now I'm leaving without you. And that means our deals off.” 

The motor on his bike roared louder. “Okay. Fine! I'm coming.” I ran to his bike and hopped on the back. I put my hands around him and leaned up against his back. “Just... try not to enjoy this too much, Red Hood.” 

I can take a pretty good guess that he's rolling his eyes.

We arrived at the shipping docks by the steel mill. I got off the back of his bike. 

“The trucks will most likely be unloading by the back door, so you go to the front and I'll take the back to draw their fire. Don't do anything until they are distracted.” he said.

“Seriously? No. I'll take the back, you go to the front.”

“No. It's too dangerous-”

“If you think for a minute that I'm going to be screwed over again like last time, you are gravely mistaken, Buddy.” I said, in a little more than a whisper.

“Fine.” He got off his bike. I was surprised he didn't fight me on the topic more. I started to run to the back of the building. “Spoiler.” He whispered loudly. “Be careful. There are innocent people in there that could get caught in the crossfire.”

“Yeah, I know. You told me on our ride here in English and then again in Spanish. I get it already.”

“That's not what I was- You know what- whatever. Let's just get this over with.” 

I ran to the fire escape on the side of the building and climbed up to the second-story window and opened it and climbed in. I crawled to a spot where I could see the hostages. I looked for Red Hood to see if he was in position, but he hasn't shown up yet.

The armed thugs were walking back and forth on the other side of the building. I was in a bad position to draw the distraction, I should be on the other side of the building when I realized, “grrrr.” Red Hood was playing mind games with me. I just know it. He's still going to be the distraction. Just then, he climbed in on the other side of the building, staying low to the ground. He looked down at the thugs then back at me and then gestured with his arms that 'he had no idea they'd be by the front door', which is probably a lie. I glared at him while shaking my head. He gestured again that he had 'no idea'. What nerve. He gestured for me to free the hostages as he started the countdown to the distraction. 

When he asked me to come along, I should have known I would turn into his side-kick. Everyone knows side-kicks are the ones who help the hostages, while the main man gets all the fun. I bet this is turning out just how he wanted it. 

He threw a gas grenade and then jumped down into the middle of the group of thugs who started coughing from the tear gas. Jason started taking them out one by one as I ran toward the hostages and started untying them.

“It's okay. We're here to help.” I said, to the dozen or so hostages. A few hostages helped untie some of the others. I looked back at the smoke just as gunfire went off. I couldn't see what was happening. 

I turned to help an older guy to his feet and then pushing him in the way of the exit when I heard a loud growl. There was a dark shadow in the midst of the smoke getting bigger and bigger as flashes from gunfire went off. Then suddenly Red Hood was thrown out of the smoke and over my head and hit the wall, breaking off some of the concrete wall from the impact. 

“Red!” I yelled, completely shocked by what just happened. I looked back as a large shadow turned into a man. A very big man. “Bane?!” I said, and then ran toward Red Hood. 

“I told you if I ever saw you again, Red Hood, I would punish you. I will not stop until you are wiped from the face of Gotham, permanently.” Bane said, as he walked toward Red Hood, who was still on the ground. I wasn't entirely sure why he wasn't back on his feet yet, so I started pulling on him. He moved a little and then he gasped. “Watch out!” He pushed me to the side as Bane punched him in the chest.

I pulled out my escrima stick and stunned Bane before he could hit Red Hood again. He turned to me, laughing. “You puny little girl. This fight does not concern you.” 

“Like hell it doesn't!” I said.

Bane tried to grab me. Luckily I'm pretty fast, but I soon discovered for a big guy, he's pretty fast too. He got a hold of my cape and lifted me up in the air and started laughing at me and then threw me into the wall knocking the wind out of me. A moment too late, Red Hood joins back in the fight and jumps on Banes back and cuts his throat with his blade. His hands go to his throat as blood trickles between his fingers. Red Hood wasn't able to cut deep enough to kill Bane and for some reason, I was glad. Bane had a hand on Red Hood's arm and flipped him over his shoulder and to the ground. 

My adrenal was kicking in just as I saw Bane lift Red Hood up over his head, to either break his back or toss him across the room again. I quickly went in for another attack from behind. I turned the watts up to as high as they could go and hoped Red Hood's armor was resistant to electricity as I stunned Bane in the back. He let out a roar and Red Hood broke free from his grip and landed on his feet and then pulled out his gun. 

“It's time to go!” He yelled to me as we both ran to the exit. Bane started to recover from the zap and then ran toward us in an earth quacking run. Jason was behind me when I heard him fire his gun several times. 

I could hear him change his clip as we ran for our lives. Once we barely had gotten through the double doors he fired one last shot behind us and then pushed me down to the ground roughly and landed on top of me, knocking the wind out of me with his two hundred pound body. He covered my head with both of his hands as a loud explosion rang in my ears. My face was in the dirt as the flames retracted into a steady burn. 

He climbed off and turned me on my back. “Are you alright?” 

I tried to wipe the dirt out of my mouth and then started spitting as I sat up. “Is he-” 

“He's probably just a little crispy.” He grabbed my arms and pulled me up. I felt my head start throbbing as I stood on my feet. 

“Are you sure you're okay, Spoiler?”

“Yeah. I think so... Did you know Bane was going to show up?”

“Yeah. That's why I asked for back-up... Hey, you're bleeding.”

As soon as he said it, I felt blood drip down my forehead and on to my eyelid. “Oh. I don't remember hitting my head.” 

“I need to make sure these people are safe before we leave. Are you gonna be okay finding your way back to the bike?” 

“Yeah. Duh,” I suddenly started to feel really sick. “I'm not an in- infa- infidel, Jason.”

“Do you mean an infantile?... Whatever. Just go back to the bike and wait there for me. Oh! And do me a favor... don't get into any trouble.”

I went to the motorcycle and sat down on the ground. He finally came back and we got on his bike to go home. He insisted that I sit in front of him. I thought that would be weird, but I was too tired to fight him on it. His arms wrapped around me to support me and once we were on the road, I felt so relaxed I decided to take a nap. Who knew motorcycle rides could be so relaxing. Before I knew it, we came to a stop in the cave and he turned off his bike. 

“Stephanie?” he said, moving me a little trying to wake me up. 

“Are we there yet?” 

“Yes... Are you okay?”

I tried to lean forward to see if I was, but then I fell back against his chest.

“Can you walk?... Do you need me to carry you?” He said as he got off the bike while still supporting me. His offer sounded so wonderful, but I was already starting to feel more sober-minded.

“No, I'm fine.” I said, he started to let go of me and then I changed my mind. I started to fall to the side to make it look like I was passing out. He caught me and then scooped me up in his arms. I kept my eyes closed as he carried me to where ever it was he was going. 

I smelled the scent of his shirt. There was the smell of gunpowder, leather and that smell of dirty crime fighting. For some reason, it smelled good. It was a nice kind of dirty I guess, but mostly I just liked the feeling of being carried. There are not very many guys that can lift me. I knew I was enjoying this way too much, but I didn't let myself feel guilty about exaggerating my state of health. I figured it made us even since I'm pretty sure he was lying to me tonight anyways. I became aware that I was grinning and quickly moved my lips into a natural relaxed shape. Hopefully, he didn't catch it. 

Red Hood set me down on the medical bed and then I heard him walk away. I wanted to see where he went, but I kept pretending I was out of it. He came back and shook me. “Stephanie. I think you might have a concussion. I rang for Alfred to come treat you. I better get going before Bruce shows up. I'll be back to fulfill my end of the bargain.” he said, and then went to his bike and drove away right before Alfred arrived.


	5. The Red Riding Hood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Viewer discretion advised for this chapter.

Later that night, Bruce got home and was suspicious of how I got my injury. I told him that I ran into some criminals on my way back home, but he didn't believe me. I stuck with my story because I couldn't tell him I was working with Red Hood. I knew he would freak out and yell at me for an hour and then eventually come to the conclusion that I'm grounded. 

After that, I stayed in bed for almost a week. Not because I needed too, but because Alfred was pampering me. I had never been pampered before and I liked it a lot.

It was late in the morning. I was in my king size bed in the manor, too lazy to get up when I heard a noise by my window, then I felt a breeze from outside.

“Pssst! Stephanie.”

I took off my blindfolds and sat up in bed. Jason was sitting on the window ledge half way inside my room. He was wearing jeans and a casual shirt and motorcycle jacket. Not his vigilante one. 

“What? How did you get up here?” 

“Are you ready to go mystery solving?”

“I guess-”

“Great. Get dressed and meet me outside.” He turned and climbed down from the second story. 

Thirty minutes later, we were driving in Jason's sweet sports car. He said we needed to blend in as we drove twenty miles over the speed limit... which doesn't make sense to me at all. Somehow we managed to arrive a block from the scene of the crime without getting pulled over. We got out of the car and headed down the sidewalk. 

There were a few people walking down the street. Some of the people looked at Jason and stared at him because of his scars on his face. I felt offended for him. I looked at him to see if he noticed that people were staring, or if he noticed a woman walking toward us staring with big eyes and then crossed to the other side of the street before he got too close, but Jason's face was emotionless. I started glaring at people as my silent protest to their rude behavior. 

“This way.” He led me through an alley to an old building behind the other buildings. We walked up the steps to where he said he found Tim.

“So... tell me what happened from the start.” I said.

"There's not much to tell. I knew Tim had been snooping around the place somewhere, but I didn't keep in eye on him. Next thing I know there was a gun shot and I went to where the sound came from and that's when I found Tim. I guess he was shot from up there." he pointed to the second story where there was a ledge. A place where Tim would have chosen to perch. 

“Was anyone else around?” 

"Yeah. There were about twenty thugs right over there."

“Is there anything else you remember?”

“No. I told you before, Stephanie. I don't know what happened.”

“Well there's got to be a detail you're not telling me. Think harder.” 

I could tell he was getting annoyed. “Don't you think if there was more to the story I would have figured it out by now, on my own?” He said, and then crossed his arms. 

“I don't know, Jason... because I don't really know you, do I? Frankly, all I know about you is that you 'kill' bad guys and your family fears you and thinks you're crazy. And for all I know, you may already know 'exactly' what happened to Tim.” He was silent. I honestly can't tell if I struck a nerve, because I can't read his expression.

“ Well, good luck.” He said and then turned around and started walking away. Did I just hurt his feelings? 

“Where are you going?” I went after him, but he didn't stop walking.

“I helped you to the best of my abilities. There's nothing else I can do.”

“We just got here! You're supposed to help me piece it together. Look for any more clues, or-”

He turned around and got in my face aggressively. “I laid out the crime scene for you. There’s nothing else I can do!... You can figure the rest out on your own.” he started to walk away again.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Like what?” he said, over his shoulder.

“Guilty.” My words made him stop and then turn around to face me slowly. I want to take back what I just said. “I... I didn't mean that, Jason. I know you love Tim and you wouldn't want to hurt him. But you... and Bruce, are both doing nothing to help figure out who shot Tim. You both give me next to nothing to go off of. I can't help but feel like I'm the only one who seems to give a crap about what happened to him... But I know that can't be true. I know you both love him. So what are you two not telling me?... I need to know.”

Jason looked down at the steps and then back at me. “ I can't speak for Bruce, but I'm not hiding anything from you.” He looked off to the side and stared for a minute. “You know, Bruce was here too that day. What makes you think Bruce is so innocent?”

“Because... That's ridiculous. He wouldn't.”

“But what if he did, Huh? What if he finally snapped? Why would that be so hard to believe? Because he doesn't kill? There's a first time for everything. Why are you so eager to trust him when he's someone who will always save the bad guys? No matter what they do to you and to the ones you love. You still just trust him... blindly... and foolishly...”

I don't know what I should say to calm him down, so I say nothing.

“You know what bothers me more than the fact that you are so willing to trust him? It's that you are so eager to believe that I had something to do with hurting Tim.”

He has a good point. Bruce and I have done nothing but look for evidence to either prove Jason guilty or innocent. We haven't really done anything else. “It's not that. It's just that Bruce- he...”

“He what?”

“He told me... you have PTSD and that sometimes you go crazy and hurt people because of it... Was that a lie?”

Jason stared at me for a moment and then looked down calmly and then back up at me again. "No, that's not a lie," he said.

“Do you have it under control now?”

“No... Not always.” He sighed with frustration. “ But I'm better than I used to be... I'm a lot better.”

"I'm not worried, Jason. You went through a lot of trauma. It's understandable that you had a bad case. But I spent some time with you lately and... I know 'if' you did hurt Tim, it had to have been an accident. Accidents I can forgive. I just need to know the truth." I hope I'm reaching him, but I can't quite tell. He's hard to read. I can tell he's debating what to say, or maybe I'm wrong. "I just need to know who did it. Because if it wasn't an accident... then we need to find justice for Tim." I said.

He looked me in the eyes and then hesitated. “You're right. I'm sorry I haven't been more helpful. I just don't know where to begin.”

“I think I do.” 

We went back to the manor to come up with a plan to track down all the suspects who may have been there that day. Bruce was gone for the day, so Jason was alright with coming inside through the front door. Alfred gave him a warm welcome, which put him in a much better mood. We went up to Tim's room and sat in there all day taking care of Tim and going over different ideas and finding and narrowing down suspects. 

I started to feel more comfortable around Jason. I guess you could say we were bonding. Alfred would bring us up meals and ask us questions concerning Tim's case and give us ideas. It was already getting dark outside, but we still had a long way to go. Mainly because we can't seem to agree on anything. Jason kept putting Bruce in the suspects pile and I had to keep discarding his notes. He probably wasted half a pen of ink on all the reasons why Bruce is a suspect. I'll admit, some of his argument was good, but I chose to believe Bruce is innocent and not the psychopath Jason was painting him out to be. 

"So, why do you think Bruce hasn't done more to figure out who shot Tim? I mean, he is the world's greatest detective." Jason said as he tapped his pen on the paper. 

“Jason, stop. Bruce isn't a suspect.”

“Yeah, so you keep telling me, but I don't hear you coming up with any better reasons than 'I trust him. He wouldn't do that. He hates guns!'” he mocked me. 

“I do not sound like that.” I said glaring at him and then looked back down at my notes. He was still watching me. “If you keep focusing on Bruce, I'll start focusing on-” I stopped myself. 

"What?" He said, narrowing his eyes at me with the slightest grin on his face. I tried to come up with something to say to distract him before it turned into an argument. I was saved by a knock on the door.

"I have some tea and hot chocolate ready to be served." Alfred said, carrying a big tray in with a hot kettle of water and a broad selection of tea and cocoa packets. 

“Thanks, but you really didn't need to, Alfred. We could have gotten it ourselves.” Jason said.

“None sense.” Alfred stepped back, “Might I suggest taking a break out on the balcony? It is lovely weather and the sunset is most enjoyable this evening. I think it would do you both some good.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I said, then looked at Jason to see if he matched my enthusiasm, but he just faked in enthusiastic expression on his face while genuinely trying to sell it.

“Let me know if there's anything else the two of you need.” 

We both replied at the same time with 'we' and then followed by me saying 'will' and Jason saying 'won't'. Then we looked at each other. 

“Thanks again, Alf.” I said, as Alfred turned and left the room. 

We went out on the balcony and sat down. I put a cocoa pouch into a cup of hot water and then added three cubes of sugar. Jason saw it and tried not to give into his urge of teasing me about it.

Then we started talking and laughing about different times we had screwed up back when we were green crime fighters. Jason surprised me with his sense of humor. So I started to tell him about my most embarrassing moment ever in crime fighting, and probably in crime fighting history around the world. 

“So, we went down to the docks. It was my third time fighting with Batman and it just so happened it was during the day. We were fighting these thugs and I reached in my belt to throw a baterang at the criminals and...” 

“And?” he said.

"And an I threw a tampon at them instead." 

Jason tried to resist laughing.

“-and then all the thugs stopped fighting and looked at me and they all started laughing... except for Tim.”

Jason was chuckling in hysteria. “I'm sorry.” he said, with a big grin on his face, “I don't mean to laugh- HahaHahaha!” After about a minute he was on the verge of crying. I have a stink face on trying to condemn his insensitivity. Then he started to calm down a bit. 

I was still thinking about that day and then continued, "I think even Batman was smiling... He said it was a day to remember because villains and heroes alike all stopped fighting." 

Jason was calm for a second and then a big grin came on his face and he started chuckling again hysterically and threw his head back in his seat and then he grabbed his stomach from the pain he was causing.

“Oh come on!... It's not that funny.” I said, and then started to smile.

He tried to calm himself down and was making a high sound as he recovered from his fit of laughter. He grabbed his cup and looked in it. “What did Alfred put in my drink?” 

"tut," I said, and then followed by a laugh. He was grinning at me and then finished drinking what was left in his cup as I stared at him with stars in my eyes. 

Then he said something about something and then waited for my reaction, but I wasn't listening, I was just staring at him with a crooked grin. He started grinning at me. "You're such a weirdo," he said, then grabbed his notebook and looked over his notes. 

I started wishing he was happy more often. He has a cute laugh and there was just something about the sound of his voice when he laughs that draws me in. I started to get this feeling in my chest as I watched him with a cheesy looking grin on my face. 

He noticed me still staring and then he laughed and rolled his eyes. I probably should win an award for being the biggest freak ever. “You know, Steph, if you keep staring at me like that, I might start thinking you have a crush on me.” 

“Ha!... That would be a first... for you.” 

He started chuckling at my insult. After a few moments, he was still smiling and then noticed the intensity in my starring. He became serious and then shyly looked away, which only fed my desire.

We're probably not on the same page, but I knew this was my chance. It was now or possibly never. I stood to my feet and took two large steps toward him and aggressively grabbed his face and threw myself at him with a big sloppy wet kiss. I could tell he was shocked and tried to pull away, but I kissed deeper in his mouth. I must have been killing it because he stopped pulling away and started to indulge my kiss. 

I felt a shiver run down my spine and the more he kissed me back, the more that feeling went down lower and lower. Next thing I know, I was climbing on his lap not letting up on the kiss as his hands welcomed me. He pulled his lips away from mine catching his breath. His eyes were still closed as I brushed my fingers over the scars on his face, then I thought that that might be too insensitive, so I stopped and went in for another kiss.

I started to think about my friend Tim in the other room, but I selfishly gave up my feelings for him and let him leave my mind, as Jason took up the rest of my thoughts. The feeling in my body started to overwhelm me as he rubbed the outside of my thighs and I had one hand on his chest feeling his heart pounding harder and harder against my hand. I pulled his shirt up slowly feeling his muscles as I bared them and then stopped at his pecks, just feeling them. 

I started to tease him by rocking back and forth on his lap. After a minute, he pulled away from the kiss and taking one hand behind me supporting my neck and torso as he lifted me up and then laid me on the ground and kissed me more deeply. I wanted more, but I couldn't let this get out of hand. We are vigilantes, after all, we're very responsible people. 

His kisses went down my neck and it felt so wonderful. Then he moves the collar of my shirt a little to kiss the hidden places. I couldn't take it anymore, as I tried to catch my breath in the excitement. I pushed on him to move away from me and he obeyed, but with a grief-stricken expression. I was done with being responsible and started to undo his pants. 

I couldn't tell if I was dreaming or not, all I was aware of was the feeling. I didn't care if someone walked in and caught us. I didn't care that I hardly knew this man that everyone feared so much. I didn't even care that Tim's unconscious body was twenty feet away from us. I just didn't care about anything else except what was happening at that very moment. 

I'm not sure how much time had passed, but we just kept going. Eventually, Jason ended up getting a blanket as we started to calm down. And boy, there was no way we were going crime fighting tonight. We were still laying on the balcony under the stars wrapped in each other's arms. I rested my head on his biceps and he used his hand as a pillow as he laid on his side with his head tilted up to the stars. It was beautiful tonight, but I was more taken with his physique and all his scars on his body. I wanted to know him better. I wanted him to tell me his story, but I knew it would probably ruin the mood, so I chose to save it for another time.

He looked at me and then leaned in and gave me an Eskimo kiss and ran his fingers through my hair. I would never have guessed Jason would be sweet and affectionate. I rub my nose against him and it made him smile. 

“We probably should get dress before Alfred decides to check in on us again.” He said.

“But this is so nice.” I said, cuddling up to him more.

We laid there a few more minutes and then he got up to go put his clothes on. I couldn't resist peeking, he's just so tempting. Mmm, so much man, I thought as I checked him out and then he looked over at me. I looked away pretending I wasn't peeking and wondering if I had said that out loud. 

I decided to get dressed too, as he puts his shoes back on. I was kinda hoping he was peeking at me. I glanced at him to see if he was, but he was looking down at his shoe and tying it. I hoped he's just better at sneaking a peek than me. He got up and went to the edge of the balcony and looked over.

“I guess I'll see you later.” He said, and then surprised me as he swung over the balcony rail and started climbing down. 

I expected him to at least give me a kiss goodbye or something. I went back to my room sneakily, trying to avoid running into Alfred. Then I got in my bed feeling physically exhausted, but my mind was buzzing with excitement. I couldn't get him off my mind. I started to wonder what tomorrow was going to be like.


	6. Am I dreaming?

The next morning, I took a shower and got dressed, then ran down stairs to the kitchen. Alfred was cooking.

“Good morning!” I sung.

“You mean good afternoon. You slept half the day away.” He said, not bothering to turn around to look at me. I got a cup of coffee and sat down.

“Did Bruce get back yet?”

“Yes. He says he wants to speak with you after breakfast.”

“What about?”

Alfred still hasn't looked at me and I'm starting to get a bad vibe from him.

“He didn't say...” he grabbed more ingredients for his soup, “Did you have a good night sleep last night?”

“Yeah, I did.” I sipped my coffee.

“What time did Master Jason leave?”

I wondered why he would want to know that. “I don't know, I didn't look at the clock.” I said and then took a big gulp of my drink nervously.

“Hm... Did he seem to have a good time with you?” 

I choked and blew my coffee out through my nose. Alfred heard the noise and turned around to look at me. His face expression was surprisingly begrudging looking rather than concerned. I took a napkin and wiped the coffee off my face.

“Is everything alright?” He said it almost like he was secretly hoping I'd have worst happen. I wasn't sure why he was acting funny, or maybe it's just that I am paranoid right now. I doubt he saw me and Jason last night, we would have noticed, but then again, I guess it's not impossible. Maybe it has something to do with Bruce.

“Yeah, I'm fine Alfred. Thanks for your concern.” I said, with aloofness to show him I caught his vibe. I started to get up and went down to the cave.

I jogged down the stairs in the batcave and went toward Bruce who was working on a case.

“Alfred said you wanted to see me?”

He looked up. “Yes, take a seat.”

He was still starring in a scope as he spoke. “Alfred told me you've been looking further into who may have shot Tim.”

“Yeah?”

“He told me, Jason helped.” My heart started racing as Bruce continued looking through the scope and then looked at me and stared. “Did you find anything?” he said.

“No... not really.”

He nodded and then looked back in the scope. I waited for him to scold me, but he didn't.

“Look, Bruce. I know you told me to stay away from him, but this is important to me. And you haven't exactly done anything to help me figure out the truth.”

He finally looked at me. “How's Jason doing?”

“I- um. I guess he's fine.” I said, wondering why he's asking while my guilt starts gnawing at me.

“Good.” he said, surprisingly chipper. I started to wonder if I was sleeping and this was just a weird dream, or if this is really what guilt feels like. I turned around to leave.

“Wh-...What's going on Bruce?”

“What do you mean?”

“You seem... odd.” 

Bruce just stared at me and then there was a noise coming from the locker room.

“Bruce, if you could please stop yelling in my ear over the comm, and telling me what to say when I'm interrogating a criminal, I'd appreciate it." Jason comes out of the locker room and doesn't look up as he tosses his coat to the bench. "And need I remind you I'm doing you the-” Jason stopped in his track as soon as he saw me. He looks just as surprised to see me as I am to see him. He made it sound like he was avoiding Bruce and now he's working with him? “Stephanie.”

“Jason... What are you doing here?”

“Did you get what you needed?” Bruce said, interrupting my question.

Jason glanced at me before answering Bruce, “Yeah, I did. Everything is set and ready for-” he stopped and looked at me and then Bruce looked at me too as if they had a secret they weren't sure they wanted to share with me.

“I probably won't be needing your help from here on out. But I would appreciate it if you could stick around awhile longer.” Bruce said.

I felt like my head was spinning with confusion. Bruce is now asking Jason to help him and not me. I looked at both of them.

“What are you two up to?” I said. They glanced at each other.

“Master Bruce.” Alfred said, coming down to the cave, “ The board at Wayne tech was calling and wondering when you might show up to the meeting that you arranged?”

“Tell them I'm on my way.” He turned back to me and Jason.

“Change of plan. Jason, can you take over for me?”

“No. My end of the deal is done. I’m not your sidekick, Bruce. Why don't you ask Stephanie to take over?”

I wasn't sure if it was just out of spite he was saying no, or if it's his way of standing up for me.

“You'll have to bring her up to speed then. I have a very important meeting.” Bruce said as he started after Alfred.

Jason took a seat and rubbed his eyes. I sat up on the desk. “So?... What's going on?”

“Bruce needs someone to keep in eye on Wayne tech shipments. There's a ping that Black mask men are going to try to steal it. You won't really need to do much. I already set the traps. Bruce just needs someone to spring them remotely. You can do that from the sidelines. You'll just have to access the code and you should be set... Any questions?”

I grinned at him. “Yeah.” I leaned in toward his ear trying to be sexy, “Did you sleep well last night?”

He looked at me with a serious expression. “No. I didn't sleep at all.”

I noticed how exhausted he looks as I pulled away. “Oh... Not because of... us, right?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“I had things to do.”

“What kind of things?”

“Listen, Stephanie. Just because-” He looked behind him to make sure no one was listening, “Just because something happened between us, doesn't mean I am now obligated to tell you everything in my life.”

“Yeah, I know. But I just hoped you would trust me enough to want to tell me...” I stared at him a moment, but he was refusing to look at me.

“Fine.” I hopped off the desk, “I guess I'm heading out to take the field.” I said, and then went into the locker room to get my gear on, but I stopped and looked back. Jason ran his fingers through his hair and sat back in the chair with his arms and legs out straight and relaxed, as he closed his eyes from exhaustion. 

I geared up and walked toward the batmobile. I knew if Bruce saw me, he'd freak out, but my bike was still not running. I could have used Batman's bike, but I was hoping that taking the batmobile would get Jason's attention and give him the opportunity to speak to me, or at least get him to show some kind of concern. I looked at him, making sure I was making lots of noise as I climbed in, but he only glanced at me and then looked back at his work. 

It was my first time driving the beast. I'll admit, it was a little difficult, but I started to get a hang of it. I arrived at the place marked on my map and hopped out and went to an eagles eye spot of the shipment and sat down with my feet dangling over the edge of the building.

“Are you in position?” Jason said, over the comm in my ear.

“Do you even have to ask? I highly doubt you don't already have my GPS on... and my camera on too.”

“...You're only to observe until there is a legitimate need for your intervention. They might not even show up. They think the Red Hood is in for dibs.”

“Yeah, I get it. Just... don't refer to yourself in third-person over a comm, okay? It's weird.” I said, trying not to sound as depressed as I was feeling.

“... Spoiler?”

“Spoiler out.” I said quickly and took the comm out of my ear.

I sat there waiting and thinking for a good long while just wondering about everything that happened this morning. And wondering if what happened between me and Jason was nothing more than a fling. Some reason I hoped it was more, but I'm guessing Jason doesn't feel the same way. 

I started to feel hurt by his nonchalance and started plotting my revenge to make him as miserable as me. Then there were footsteps behind me. I gasped and turned around.

“Didn't mean to sneak up on you.” Jason said.

“Oh, it's you, that's just great.” I said, hoping to hurt him. 

He went to the ledge and sat down next to me with his feet hanging over the edge and setting his helmet next to himself. He looked at me, like he was trying to think of something to say and then reached in his jacket and pulled out a chocolate bar.

“I heard girls like chocolate when they're feeling sad.” he said, handing the chocolate to me.

I wasn't sure if this gesture was him accusing me of being emotional, or if it was a sincere attempt at righting his wrong. I chose to give him another chance and then I took it and grinned at the pathetic, yet sweet and adorable gesture. “Thanks.” 

I took off my gloves to open the wrapper. I broke off a large piece and split it in half and handed a half to Jason. He took it.

“I'm sorry for what I said earlier, Steph. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's just... last night took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting anything like that to happen. The more I got to thinking about it, the more it freaked me out. And I- I guess, I don't really know what it means. I have this idea of what it should mean, but I don't know what it really means... to you... or to me... I just feel really confused right now.” 

“I do too... I honestly don't know what came over me. I do know one thing, though...” I started to hesitate. Jason was listening intently.

“I like you, Jason... A lot! But we should be honest with each other.”

“Yeah, there's a lot of things we don't know about each other. There's things that I do, that y-”

“Then why don't we get to know each other better?” I jumped to the conclusion and then wished I had let him finish his sentence.

“You mean... like a date?”

“Yeah!... Maybe... It doesn't have to be fancy, just something fun.”

He looked off into the distance as I waited nervously for him to say something. “Alright...” He looked at me, “Stephanie, will you go on a date with me?”

I started grinning. “Yes! I would love to go out with you, Todd.” I linked my arm in his and we sat there, glancing at each other shyly and grinning. I inched in closer to him and started staring and admiring his profile. He started to laugh and rolled his eyes at my obsessive staring, which only alluded me to stare more. 

After that we finished our task, we went back to the cave together. Nobody was around. So we went to the locker room and took off our gear and decided to take a shower... together. We lathered each other in soap and took a much longer shower than we needed, but it was strictly platonic. 

Then we got our clothes on and decided to go upstairs and check on Tim. Jason sat on the end of the bed and I sat in the chair by the bed as he pulled the blankets off of Tim and then grabbed one of his legs and moved it in a bicycle motion to get the blood circulating. Then he stopped and rubbed his legs roughly to help stimulate circulation. I was trying to dry my hair with a towel as I watched him.

“Is it just me, or is Alfred and Bruce acting weird?” I said.

“... It's just you.” I started to adore the way he was taking care of Tim. How he gently rubbed his legs with his big rough looking hands, and some reason it made me think about what kind of dad he would be. Probably a really good one. He'd probably be a really good husband too. He doesn't get grossed out taking care of all of Tim's needs and that is love and caring. I was sitting there grinning at him and then I caught myself. What am I thinking? Husband? Dad? I barely know him. We just started talking about dating, why am I entertaining these thoughts.

I start to stare at how handsome he looked. How his hair was wet from the shower and it looked so effortlessly attractive the way it drooped down on his forehead. He was wearing his jacket as usual always seeming to be cold.

I reached over and touched his pale cheek, it was cold to the touch despite him just getting out of a hot shower ten minutes ago. He looked at me. I touched the silver hairs that grew in by his temples from the scars on his scalp in that area, then I ran my fingers through his wet hair. He closed his eyes enjoying the gentle touch.

I went in for a kiss and pressed my lips to his. He moved Tim's leg to the side and pulled me in closer then we started to kiss more deeply. I grabbed his arm and pulled him off the bed and led him hastily to my room two doors down. Then we fell down on my bed and started making out as he rolled on top of me, with our hands all over each other. Then there was a knock on the door. We both pulled away and sat up straight and tried to look busy with something else to avoid suspicion.

“Come in.” I said.

Alfred opened the door. The look on his face changed once he saw I wasn't alone. “Master Jason? I thought you had left hours ago? It's just as well I suppose. Master Bruce was needing to talk with you both, concerning the case.”

“We'll be right down.” I said. 

Alfred looked at us both and then opened the door wider, refusing to leave us alone together. I scowled, but Jason just got up to obey Alfred's wish and then left the room.

Alfred gave me the slightest glare. I don't think I've ever seen him like this. It's not like we're kids who need to be watched. It's almost like he thinks I'm some predator who's going after his innocent little baby boy or something. How did I turn out to be the bad guy in his eyes?

I got off the bed and passed him. I saw Jason go into the elevator to the batcave so I stopped just as Alfred walked passed me. “Is there something wrong, Alfred?”

“No, Miss Brown.”

“ Really? Because I can't help but feel like you're holding something against me.”

He faced me aggressively... well, aggressively considering it's Alfred. It was normal if it was anyone else.

“Is there something for me to hold against you?”

“No... Nothing at all.” 

Alfred stared at me a moment like he was tempted to say what was really on his mind, but then he straightened up and adjusted his coat and walked away.


	7. Old wounds that haven't scarred

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one takes place on the same day as the chapter before.
> 
> Also, Nightwing has a brief appearance in this one. And Alfred has a long talk with Steph. Hopefully it doesn't bore you. lol!

I went down to the cave and saw Bruce and Jason standing there talking. 

“Stephanie. I was just asking Ja-… What happened to your arm?” Bruce said plainly. Jason looked at my arm and then his eyes got big with shock. He batted his eyelashes over and over trying to snap out of his expression. Bruce noticed me staring at Jason, so he looked at him too. 

I looked at my arm seeing a massive black and blue bruise on me. Then I noticed it kinda looked like a hand print. I tried to think back of when a criminal may have grabbed my arm, but I haven't been out fighting crime in a week and before that I was kicking butt, then it donned on me. I felt my face flush and looked at Jason who now appears indifferent and convincingly innocent. 

I put my hand over the bruise trying to hide the shape it made as I came up with a story. “Uhh... Must've happened when we were fighting those guys the other day.” 

Bruce and Jason both had a neutral expression. I could tell Bruce was thinking and probably wondering why my face was so flushed. Bruce looked back at Jason again and Jason looked down trying to look indifferent of the topic, as an attempt to preventing Bruce from thinking too much about it.

“Which time?” Bruce asked me.

“Uh-” I looked at Jason, and a few moments go by. Bruce looked back at Jason again and then back at me, this time with a frown. “Last time we went out on patrol,” I said. Jason closed his eyes as if he was bracing for Bruce's backlash but then returned to a neutral expression that had a hint of annoyance. 

Bruce squinted his eyes looking at my arm. “You mean a week ago?... Really?”

“Yeah, it's no big deal. I didn't even notice I had it.” It was true. I don't even remember my arm being squeezed when I was with Jason. 

“Stephanie. There's no way you got that bruise a week ago.” 

Jason looked away from both Bruce and I with a tense expression on his face.

“Yeah, I did.” 

“No, you didn't. That bruise is hardly a day old.” Bruce said, and then looked at Jason again, who just looked away from Bruce and rubbed the back of his neck casually.

I looked at my arm again. “Oh. Ha! You're right. I forgot. It was yesterday. I stopped this mugger and he grabbed me and him uh...” I looked at Jason who was shaking his head slowly, astonished at how badly I'm lying. “He um... totally got his ass kicked. He probably won't be able to sit down for a month.” I said, with a sudden confidence and charm.

“Hmm... What really happened?” Bruce said, now looking annoyed with me. 

“That's the truth, Bruce. Honest. I don't get what the big deal is. I've had worst.” I said while walking backward and then turned and ran to the locker room. Then I thought- I probably shouldn't have run.

I was starting to get my gear on when Jason came around the corner. He looked back as if he was sneaking and then leaned against the locker and crossed his arms with a mean frown on his face.

“What?” I said as I put my foot in one of my boots.

“Where the hell did you learn how to lie?”

“Relax, Jason. He totally bought it.”

“No, he totally didn't... God, Stephanie. It's one thing if he thinks you're fooling around with somebody. It's another thing if he thinks you're fooling around with me.”

“He wasn't thinking that.” I said, trying to calm him down with my tone.

“Yes, he was.” Jason looked back behind him and hushed his voice, “He kept looking at me.”

“You're just paranoid.”

“No, I'm not. You were staring at me. So 'he' kept looking at me wondering why 'you' were staring at me... He knows now.” 

“ 'If ' he knows, he obviously doesn't care.”

“No, he's in denial. Trust me, it will only be a matter of time until he finally accepts the truth and then it will rain down fire and brimstone... And you know who it will rain down? 'ME!'… I'd give it a couple hours at best before he snaps out of this state of denial. In which case, I'll be sure to be long gone.”

“You're the Red Hood for crying out loud! Why are you so scared of him?”

“It's not him I'm scared of.”

“Then who? Alfred?” I said, laughing at the thought of it.

Jason's expression was softer and almost sad looking. “Maybe it's just my reputation that I'm worried about.” 

I wasn't quite sure what that meant, but I got the feeling it wasn't the whole truth. Then I started to think about it more. Wait- was he jabbing me?

“Steph, I'm sor-” 

I interrupted him with a quick fury of rage. “What is that supposed to mean?” I glared at him.

“What?”

“Your reputation. What are you saying? You wouldn't want to be caught dead in my bed, is that it? You wouldn't touch 'dat' with a twelve-foot pole?”

“What? No! That's not what I was-”

“We wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't bruised me!”

His expression was soft again. “I know that... I'm sorry.” he sighed heavily, “I don't even remember squeezing your arm like that. I never meant to hurt you. And I'm sorry I didn't even notice it earlier.”

“It's fine... I don't remember you squeezing my arm either. And I didn't notice it in the mirror, or feel it hurting.” I rubbed my arm suddenly realizing it hurts, “I guess I was just a little lovestruck with you.” I looked at Jason's face. His lips had the slightest grin and he was smiling with flattery, mostly with his eyes.

There was a loud voice coming from the other room and an uproar of laughter. Jason frowned and then peeked around the corner to see who it was. He looks back while rolling his eyes. I got up and peeked around the corner. Nightwing was talking Bruce’s ear off and smiling all the while. Bruce wasn't exactly sharing his glee. 

“It's your favorite person, Jason. Let's go say 'hi'.”

“No, thanks.” he grumbled.

I ran out there to greet Dick. “Hey you!” I said and gave him a big hug. 

“Hey!” He squeezed me tight and lifted me off the ground. 

“Oh, Dick. You're so strong.” I said, sorta flirtatiously and sorta hoping Jason would hear. 

Dick set me back down. “I hear you been staying out of trouble.” he coincidentally looked at Jason as he came toward us, “Well mostly.”

“Ha! Funny. How long are you in town?” I said.

“I'm heading back to Blud Haven tonight. Just had a few things to drop off.”

“Aww, well, I'm glad you stopped by. Even if it is just for a few minutes.” I scooted in toward Dick to give him a hug again and made sure Jason and (secondly) Bruce were watching every second of it.

“You aren’t trying to cop a feel are you?” Dick said, with a grin on his face. Yeah, I'm pretty sure Dick and I are probably twins separated at birth. 

The look on Jason's face and Bruce's face are... well, let me just say- the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. They really just don't get the bubbly and warm nature of Dick and I.

“I'm just glad to see you.”

“Well, I'll be back again sometime in the next few weeks.” Then he looked at Jason, “But uh- what are you doing here, Jason?” 

Jason folded his arms and gave the slightest glare.

“Jason has been helping me out with a case.” Bruce said.

“Oh?... Well, that's good for you, Jay.” he reached over and patted Jason's shoulder trying to loosen him up, “I actually didn't think you were al-” Bruce cleared his throat to shut Dick up. “Al- al- uh-” Dick gave up on trying to cleverly finish his sentence to avoid suspicion.

“Allowed back in the family? I'm not... And probably never will be.” Jason said, then unfolded his arms, “See you guys never.” He walked toward his bike, but Alfred came down to the cave and stopped him. Then they both started going back to the elevator.

“He seems like he's in a good mood today. How's he doing?” Dick said. I wasn't sure if he was kidding or not, but he seemed pretty darn serious. 

“I don't know. The only thing we talked about was the case. You might ask Stephanie though. She's spent more time with him lately than me.”

A look of shock came over Dick's face. “What? You were hanging out with Jason?!”

“Well, no, not really. We were trying to figure out who shot, Tim. So it was more like... studying.”

“What? But we already know-” he stopped himself before he started yelling and rubbed his face.

“You already know what?”

“Steph. Could you give me a moment alone with Bruce?”

I nodded slowly. I wasn't expecting Dick Grayson, out of everyone, to be this upset about me hanging out with Jason. I went to the locker room where I could still eavesdrop on them. 

“Bruce! What in the world!!”

“Alfred was there. And as we all know, Jason is always on better behavior around Alfred... Although, I believe she was in contact with Jason long before he arrived at the manor. I just haven't had the right moment to ask her about it. Much less ask about Jason's emotional state.”

“Okay, but why is she still trying to find out who shot Tim? We already know who shot Tim!”

“Actually we don't. We just have a theory.”

“Yeah. A really good theory.”

Bruce lowered his voice so deep that I couldn't hear what he was saying. Then after a minute, Dick started heading back to his bike. I came out from the locker room and waved goodbye to him as I walked toward Bruce, but then changed my course when I saw Jason coming down from the manor. “You're still here?”

“Alfred needed my help moving some furniture. But I 'am' leaving this time.”

“Am I going to see you again soon?”

“Do you want to see me again?” he said, almost shyly. I grinned and nodded. I was so tempted to kiss him even with Bruce standing forty feet away. 

Then Bruce turned and walked toward us. “Before you both go your separate ways. I wanted to talk to you about the case. Jason was starting to say they never showed up which means I can take phase two to the next level.” Bruce looked at Jason, “Thank you. Maybe you could stick around a little longer. I really could use the extra pair of hands to take down the new gangsters in town tonight.”

“Oh, I can do that.” I said.

“I will need your help too, Steph. But I need someone who can monitor the cameras from the cave. It will help things go more smoothly.” 

“What?... No, Bruce. I mean... I can do whatever it is Jason can do.”

“I got to agree with her, Bruce. She can handle it. Plus... just because I helped you once doesn't mean I'm now your loyal lap dog again, who beckons to your every wish.”

“Stephanie doesn't have the training and I don't 'have' anyone else.”

“Anything Jason can do, I can do too... in heels!”

“That's not true-” Bruce stopped himself, “You just don't have the right training for the task. Red Hood d-”

“How do you know?! How do you know what Tim may or may not have taught me? I haven't shown you all my moves, Bruce. Tim taught me a lot! More than you ever did!”

“Nonetheless, it's much too dangerous for someone with as little field experience as you.”

“So you keep saying. But how am I supposed to gain experience when you won't let me do anything?... You know, I thought things were finally getting better between us, Bruce. I thought you we're actually starting to trust me. But as soon as one of your 'sons' come around, even one as 'dishonorable' as Jason, you put me right back on the back burner. As always!” I said, and then realizing I just insulted Jason. 

They were both silent. Bruce glanced at Jason and then back at me with a judgmental look. My heart was sinking in my chest fast. I realized I probably did more harm to Jason than to Bruce, and that was not my intention at all. First Alfred, now Bruce thinks I'm the bad guy. What the hell's going on around here today?

Jason was staring at me and then looked down at the ground passively. 

“Jason, I didn't mean- I was just saying-... I- I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, Steph. It's the truth.” he said, shrugging his shoulders. 

“I'm so sorry. I'm just... I was just being selfish and only thinking about myself. I-”

“Steph, really. It's fine.” 

Alfred came down carrying a tray of food and as soon as I saw the look on his face. I assumed he heard my outburst. I suddenly felt like I was standing naked in the spotlight amongst my enemies and ran past Alfred up the stairs to the Manor.

“Stephanie!” Bruce called out to me, but I couldn't face any of them right now.

I went up to my room and collapsed on my bed with my face in the pillow and just cried. After a couple minutes, there was a faint knock on my door. “Go away!” I said with my face in my pillow, then I heard the door open. 

“Miss?...” Alfred went to the bed and sat down. He waited patiently for me to look at him. 

“I'm sorry, Alfred. I shouldn't have said any of that. I know why Bruce needs Jason... because he is a lot more skilled than me. It will make the task easier, but it still just hurts that Bruce never wants to ask me to help. Yeah, thing's have gotten better, but he still only gives me the boring things to do. He'd rather do things alone, or even with someone whose methods he resents and who he suspected of shooting Tim, rather than bring me along.”

“Your esteem has been hurt. It's understandable. I knew it was brewing for several months now. But that's not why I came up here. I need to apologize to you, Miss Brown.”

I pulled my face out of the pillow. “What?”

“You asked me earlier if there was something I was holding against you. I wasn't exactly truthful on the matter.” I sat up and faced him. “I- I know... about you and Master Jason.” 

I swung my legs over the edge of the bed with my jaw dropped in shock. I already figured he knew, but I'm more embarrassed and curious about how he knew it. “How? Did Jason tell you?”

“It doesn't matter, Miss.”

“It does matter... a lot actually.”

“Master Jason did not say a thing.” 

I was so relieved to hear that, but then I wasn't. “You saw us?!” I stood to my feet flushing red with humiliation. I needed to know how much he saw. Was it just kissing or.. or.. “Oh my god!” I said. 

Alfred tightened his jaw shut. 

“Did you tell Bruce?”

He frowned at me. “No. It's not mine to tell to anyone, Miss Brown.”

I sat back down on the bed. “Why are you so mad at me then? I get you're old fashioned and all, but... I don't see you holding Batman's relationship with Catwoman against him.”

“It was nothing of that sort... It's just... Master Timothy... He was very fond of you.”

My heart started throbbing at the mention of Tim, and the idea of what I and Jason's relationship would do to him if he wasn't in a coma. Tears flooded my eyes again. “We- We didn't think about that. It just happened. It was stupid!... What am I supposed to do, Alf?”

“I don't know, Miss. You and Master Timothy were not together. So there's not really a sin against him... But you should make sure you really know what you're getting yourself into when it comes to Master Jason. He's a troubled young man. And at times, he can be much to handle. He will need a strong moral woman in his life. One who can- well... if I do speak candidly... he needs a woman who can easily dominate him and keep him grounded with humaneness... And as I'm sure you are well aware of, he is a very hard headed young man. Master Bruce himself has tried to knock humanity in him, but I fear, when it comes to Master Jason, that aspiration may not be a realistic one.

“I know, Alf... But what if... I don't 'want' to change Jason? What if I like him the way he is?”

“Then are you really being honest about what the relationship will bring you?”

“You mean besides great sex?” I said grinning. 

Alfred's eyes got big and he pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed his forehead as if he was on the verge of fainting from my crude tease. I started to wonder if I should look for some smelling salts.

“uh- well, um- The two of you are still very young. And for your sake, Miss Brown, do keep in mind and consider carefully that he is indeed 'troubled' and 'hurting'. He has and probably always will have a hard time making and maintaining healthy relationships, even of the mutual sort. Let alone the romantic... But none is without their faults and on the bright side, Master Jason was a fiercely loyal teenager. He would bend his own morals for the sake of protecting his family. But he now... well... he disappears a lot, Miss. He is a very responsible person by nature, but now, after his resurrection, he has bouts of depression and when that mood comes over him. That look in the eyes that may show up for no apparent reason...” He fiddled with his handkerchief, “Well, I've learned to recognize that mood as a sign that it won't be long before he will simply disappear, for days or even months at a time. You've already witnessed some of this behavior. But I believe... that perhaps, a very dominating and intuitive woman will be able to steer him clear from falling back into old habits.”

“Do you think... I could be that kind of woman?”

“I do...”

“Then why do I sense a 'but'?”

“It's not my place, Miss.”

“But I want to know what you really think, Alfred. I want to hear your truest opinion.”

He hesitates a moment. “You are very adventurous, Stephanie. I can see why you are attracted to Master Jason. But I don't believe-... I think-... I don't-...” He's starting to struggle with what he wants to say and that's making me really nervous. I try to prepare myself. “I 'do' think Master Timothy could make you very happy.” He chose to go the positive route.

“But... you don't think Jason will?”

“He can, Miss. But it will take much more work... I have not yet discerned how Master Jason might feel toward you. He has always kept his feelings carefully concealed. Even more now that he's an adult. But I do know for fact what Master Timothy feels toward you. And I have faith that he will wake up to be with us again...”

Now I'm feeling so confused. I wish I didn't ask him what he really felt. He doesn't think Jason is capable of a long term happy or healthy relationship, but I don't want to believe that. 

“The fact you have to face is that if Master Jason feels fondly of you, and then Master Timothy wakes up. Somebody is going to get hurt. You need to make a decision on who that someone is. You may even hurt both of them, but in the end, you need to be fair to both boys and be fair 'especially' to yourself. It may feel wrong or even selfish, but when all is said and done, years from now everyone will be happier.”

He stood to his feet. “And if you don't know who you feel more towards. Choose the one whose dreams are most like your own... Now, I have dinner in the oven. I should go check on it be for I burn the house down.” He went to the door and opened it.

“Alfred... just don't tell Bruce.” he hesitates a moment and then nods and leaves the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to let me know in the comments what you guys want to see in this series. I'm writing it for you, so I'd love to hear what you've enjoyed so far. 
> 
> Do you guys want to see more humor, romance, action, or drama?


	8. Flirtatious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So there's a lot of playfulness in this chapter.  
> Also, Stephanie and Bruce have been butting heads a lot and she's kinda been emotional lately.

A year ago-

“Tim?” I said, laying on top of the hood of my car, looking up at the stars with Tim by my side. “You ever wonder what your life might be like ten years from now?”

“Yeah... sometimes.” 

“What do you want in your future?”

“I don't know. I'll probably be solving crimes and saving the world. Vigilante stuff...What about you?”

“I'll probably be doing the same. But... I also hope I'll have found that someone special, you know? Be married and getting ready to have my first kid with the love of my life.” I said. 

Tim gazed at my profile and then looked back up at the stars. “That sounds nice. Do you already have a guy in mind?” he turned his head to look at me.

“No. Not yet.”

“You really seem to like that guy from the party the other day. Is he the one in your dreams?” he said, with a soft smile on his face.

“Are you talking about Ronny?” 

“Yeah.”

I started to laugh. “He's pretty cute and he's a fun guy and all, but... he's not really my type.”

Tim became more serious. “Then what's your type, Steph?” 

“Not Ronny.”

Tim rolled to his side and held himself up by an elbow and looked down at me with a smirk on his face. “How about I guess what kind of guy you want? See how well I know you.”

“Okay.”

He bit his lip in thoughtfulness. “You want a guy who's going to take care of you. Spoil you rotten...You want him to take you on every adventure. You also need someone who can keep you out of trouble. But at the same time, let you lead the way. Someone who doesn't mind you bossing them around all the time.”

I started to grin.

“You want someone who will caress your face gently and romance you.” Tim said, and then brushed his hand on my cheek and stared at me almost like he was absentmindedly doing it. “Someone who can make you laugh. Read your mind with only a glance... Someone who will take you on every mission. Because... you never want to miss out on the fun.” he stared at my lips like he was about to kiss me and his hand still brushing my cheek.

I was tempted to kiss him. I wondered what it would be like, but I knew that I shouldn't, because we're just friends. I don't want that to change. Then again, there's nobody in the world that I trust more than Tim. “Tim?...”

“Yeah?” he said in an airy voice.

“umm...”

He was still inching closer to my lips. Then the look on his face changed. Like he just now realized what he was doing and how awkward it was making me feel. “oh, hah!...” he moved away from me and back on his back. I saw his cheeks starting to flush.

That was the first time I realized Tim felt more for me than just as a friend. The first time I felt more for him than just as a friend.

 

Present day-

Bruce grounded me again after we got in a fight over dinner a few nights ago. I was just speaking my mind and trying to get him to communicate, when he chewed me out and some how found a reason to ground me from “Spoiling”. He thinks he's my dad now, since I'm living at the manor full time to help take care of Tim. 

I went down to the cave. “Bruce?...” He was ignoring me. Honestly, I don't know why he's called Batman. He's more like Bitchman. “Bruce... Could you please just talk to me? Last I checked, I was mad at you not the other way around. So what's the matter?”

“What do you mean?”

“I'm tired of fighting with you. What's really going on?”

“Nothing...” he finally looked at me, “I just don't need your help, Stephanie. And I definitely don't need your melodramas.”

“What! You are- you know what? Forget it... I'm seriously considering moving to Bludhaven to become Nightwing's partner. At least 'he' would treat me fair and appreciate my good humor.”

“Good humor? Partner? Ha! You're hardly a sidekick at best.” 

Wow, Bruce really knows how to tick me off. “I just came down here to-” I suddenly felt like crying. I tried to suppress my tears and finish my sentence, but as soon as I spoke I started sobbing like an emotional wreck. “I just wanted to use the god damn computer! Is that too much to ask?!” 

Bruce was glaring at me and not at all feeling sympathy for my emotional state. I don't even know why I'm crying, I'm not even this upset.

“Yes.” he said, while trying to block my route to the computer, “Because I know exactly what you're going to use it for. You're going to try to contact Jason. And then when that fails, which it will, you're going to contact Dick. And then ask him to hang out, so the two of you can bond over a pity-party about why 'I' am such a mean man.”

“I'm not going to call them! I just wanted to see if there was any crimes going on this morning.”

“There's not.”

“How do you know? I doubt you've even checked since I was last in here. Bruce, I've been cooped up here for two weeks! I need to do something!”

“Well, for starters, you could stop checking your twitter on the batcomputer when you have a perfectly good laptop upstairs. And then you could start acting more professional and I might actually want to work with you.”

We started rustling over the key board. “Why are you being so possessive?!” 

“Why are you crying?!” He said.

“Why are you yelling at me? You big jerk!”

“Because! You are driving me insane!”

“Wrong! You're all ready insane!” I said, and then realizing how dysfunctional me and Bruce's relationship has become in only a week. I suddenly started to feel really sick to my stomach. I let go of the tug-a-war and then leaned forward and threw-up all over the empty seat in front of me and a little on Bruce's shoes. 

“Alfred!!” Bruce yelled. 

“What in heavens!-” Alfred hurried over to me and Bruce, “Miss Brown, are you alright?” 

Bruce was holding onto my arm to make sure I didn't pass out and fall. “Alfred, take her up stairs and get her cleaned up.”

“Yes, Sir.” He held on to me and escorted me up to the manor.

We came to my door. “I'm sorry, Alfred. I'll clean it up.”

“Don't you worry about that.” He opened the door to my bedroom. “I will make you some ginger tea. You go ahead and get your pj's on and I'll be right up with your drink and some medicine.” 

I really didn't feel that sick anymore, but I'm always up for Alfred's pampering. “Whatever you think is best, Alfred.”

I changed my clothes and brushed my teeth, then hopped in bed. I put my blindfolds on and sat back to relax. I started to think about Bruce having to clean up my mess. “Serves you right, Bruce.” 

“Whatever it was, he probably deserved it.” A man's voice came from the corner of the room.

I sat up and took off my blindfolds. Jason was climbing through the window and then tumbled down to the ground. 

“Jason! Are you okay?” I ran to him.

“Yeah, just a little wounded.”

“Why didn't you just go through the front door like a normal person?... Oh gosh, is that blood?” I saw the blood soaked shirt under his jacket.

“I don't want Alfred to see me. He'll start pampering me until I feel more or less like a prisoner. I could use another pair of hands though then I'll be on my way. Are you up for the task?”

“Master Jason!!” Alfred said, from the doorway.

“Aw shit.” 

Alfred set down the tray and came to where Jason and I were. We helped Jason back on his feet and Alfred shooed him into the bathroom and then pulled off his leather jacket. Jason was wearing casual clothes with just a solid tee, jeans and loosely lace up boots.

Alfred was starting to pamper him and make him more comfortable. “Alfred, really. It's fine. It's just a scratch.”

“There is a large difference between a bullet wound and a scratch. Do not insult my intelligence. Now take off your shirt.” 

“Okay, just... no pampering, alright?” He started to work his shirt off. As soon as I saw his shirtless torso there was a devilish smirk on my face.

Alfred went and got a new shirt from Jason's old room, while I disinfected the wound. When he came back he taught me how to sew a wound as he monitored over my shoulder. “She's doing a splendid job, Master Jason.”

“I'm sure.” he said. The way he says it I'm not sure if its sarcasm or not. He seems like he's in a good mood though. 

I snipped the thread and bandaged him up. “All done.”

“Thanks.”

“Couldn't have done a better job myself, Miss Brown.”

“It does kinda look like a professional did it.” I said, as Alfred gathered up the supplies. “So what happened anyways?” 

“Uhh... It was stupid. I got in a bar fight over poker. The guys thought I was cheating because they were losing so badly. So they attacked me and then pulled a gun on me. I had five guys trying to hold me still while the other guy aimed for my head. He only missed by like a foot. On the bright side, he shot one of his buddies in the process... And to think, I was actually starting to consider them friends... Talk about sore losers.”

I was grinning while starting to feel sorry for him. I don't think he's kidding about any of it.

“I hope you weren't cheating them, Master Jason?”

“Hey- I may do some morally questionable things, but I still play fair.”

“uh-huh.” Alfred said, and then raised an eye brow, “I'm going to put a fresh pot of coffee on if the two of you would like to meet me down stairs in a few minutes...?”

“Sounds good, Alf.” I said. 

Jason pulled on a new shirt. I shut the door after seeing that Alfred was far enough down the hall not to notice. I grinned at Jason and I moistened my lips as I closed in the gap between us. 

He walked backwards out onto the balcony. “Now Stephanie.”

“Hmm?” I trapped him up against the balcony railing and puckered my lips and shut my eyes. Waiting for him to kiss me. I felt him hold my chin and then slowly lower his lips on to mine in a sweet kiss. I was leaning into the kiss and then he pulled away. I wrapped my arms around his lean waist and looked up at him. “So... Are you going to tell me?”

“About what?”

“ About why you were helping Bruce on that case last week.”

“oh... well, uh- Alfred cornered me. I let him talk me into helping Bruce.” 

“Okay... And?”

“He manipulated me.”

“What? How did Alfred manipulate you?”

“He uh... he made me feel bad.” 

I couldn't help but laugh. 

“You think that's funny?”

“Well, yeah. The Butler made the Red Hood feel bad.” I started chuckling. “That's pretty pathetic, Jason. I'm beginning to think you're just a big fat softy deep down inside. But go on. What exactly did he say to you?”

“It doesn't matter. Lesson learned.” He tried to leave, but I pulled him back to me.

“Ah come on, Jason. Don't you trust me with the truth?” 

“You think I’m going to give you some ideas? Sorry, but I'll never tell.”

“Wow. Whatever he has on you must be juicy. What is it? Naked baby pictures?”

He grinned. “You don't know what he's really like, Steph. He may appear old and docile. But he has a very subtle way with manipulating and intimidating.”

“Alfred?” I started laughing, “Yeah right. What does he have over you? I have to know!” 

“Nothing. I was kidding. He didn't say anything.” he smirked and then practically ran out of the room. 

He was going down the stairs and I was several feet behind him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw how quickly I had caught up. “ohmygosh.” He said, grinning and then tried to get away from me. He got to the bottom floor and then I jumped off the fourth step on to his back causing him to lose his balance and fall down. I was still on his back and playfully putting him in a head lock. 

“Tell me!” I said, trying to mimic Batman's voice as Jason giggled underneath me. “Tell me! You piece of shit... Tell me what he said! I need answers!”

“No!” Jason said and then he returned to a raspy giggling just like a kid. I was holding him pretty tightly in a head lock, and trying not to hurt his shoulder wound. I'm sure he could handle anything I threw at him though.

“Tell me! Or we can do this the hard way.” 

“No.” he said, while dragging himself across the floor with me on his back.

“Fine.” I said, in a mockery of Bruce's voice and then blew a slobbering raspberry on the side of his neck.

“Ah god! Stop!” He yelled with laughter and disgust. Then I started smothering him in kisses and turned his face toward mine trying to get a kiss from behind him, but I only ended up kissing the scar on the side of his mouth. I lifted my body weight off of his back so he could roll onto his back to face me, and he did. Then I slowly went in for a big kiss. 

Somebody cleared their throat loudly trying to interrupt us. Jason and I stopped a few inches from each other's lips and our eyes widened. We looked to the doorway of the family room. Bruce was standing there with a stern look on his face.

“Bruce!?” I got to my knees and Jason quickly rolled away from me and got to his feet.

“We uh... didn't think you would be up here.” I said, standing up and fixing my shirt.

“Obviously.” He looked at Jason with a subtle yet judgmental look. 

“Me and Jason were just... rough housing. Like... friends. You know?”

Bruce looked at me with a tense face expression. “I wasn't aware you and Jason were friends.”

“That's because you're not really around the house much, Bruce.” I said. 

Bruce stepped closer to us. “hmm. So you're saying you're friends who what? Flirt and kiss each other casually?” 

Jason frowned. “You should get your eyes checked, old man because we weren't doing either of those things,” he said, and then hurried out of the foyer leaving me there with Bruce's glaring eyes. I edged my way in the same direction Jason went. 

“Uuh... what he said.” And then I ran out of the foyer. I probably shouldn't have run.


	9. The Bad Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I felt like this chapter is a weak link, but hopefully, the next one is better. I got some good ideas I want to explore. I will always be open for suggestions, and I will apply credit where credit is due.
> 
> Now to the summary. Jason has a hard time talking, much less sharing his feelings. Steph's about to find that out. Also, my version of Steph has a nag for trouble. I hope it doesn't bother you. I personally love the idea that she would be that way, but some of you may not like it. I hope you can still enjoy the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, I'm open for your request in this story, at any time. Let me know what you would like to see happen.  
> And if there is any questions you need answering via story mode, or in the comment section. Just let me know. :)

Bruce couldn't look at me all day. He doesn't like that I'm still in contact with Jason. I don't think he knows that we are officially almost dating, but I'm sure now he suspects. I told Alfred to tell Bruce that I was going to hang out with some friends for the evening, but I was really going out on a date with Jason.

“But Miss Stephanie. Are you sure you should be going out and not resting?”

“Why would I need to rest, Alf?”

“You were sick earlier today. I believe it would be wise if you let yourself recover before you go running around town.”

“The last thing I need is more rest. Besides, it was probably just cabin-fever anyways.” I said, and then waltzed off to call Jason.

Jason told me to choose what we should do on the date, so I picked a nice restaurant because I wanted to talk so I could get to know him better. Once we got to the restaurant I could tell he wasn't comfortable. People started staring at him and it made me feel so awful. I didn't even think about how such a public place would effect him. 

Luckily, no little kids, or rude adults dared to come up to him and ask about his heavily scarred face. Actually, it probably has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with his bitch-face-expression and his strong and intimidating presence. The scars don't help with either of those. Even so, the tough look about him did draw unwanted attention not just to him, but to me too. 

We started to order our food and having a one sided casual conversation. I did all of the talking, but he didn't seem to mind. 

“-then Tim finally broke down with guilt and confessed everything to Alfred. You know the only thing worst than seeing Bruce get angry? Is seeing Alfred get angry. Of course his fit of rage is as harmless as a puppies bite. But still. It was pretty disturbing.” I said.

“I really can't imagine Alfred losing his cool. He's always so stoic.” he said.

I chuckled. “Yeah. It was priceless.” Then sipped my drink just as some little kid was walking by our table and pointed at Jason. “Mom. What happened to that mans face?” The mother tried to hush her son.

I'm sure Jason heard it, since the kid was less then four feet away from us. I looked back at him as he looked down at his cloth napkin and rubbed his finger on the seam. Almost like he was trying to fool someone into thinking he didn't hear it.

“Jason... If you want to go somewhere else. I'm completely okay with it.”

“Are you not liking this place, Steph?” 

“No... I just think you're not liking it.” We both glanced over at a table across from us where a couple was trying to get a better look at Jason and I. 

Jason looked back at me. “I'm fine.”

Our attention is caught by some cop cars speeding down the road with their sirens on, right outside of the restaurant. My heart started racing with excitement. “Is it wrong that I like that sound?” I said, with a mischievous grin.

Jason pulled out his phone. “It's just a bank robbery.”

I was ready to race off to change into something more comfortable and go crime stopping, but he reached out and grabbed my hand. “Let the cops handle it for once.”

“What? Are you kidding me? Come on, Jason. It will be fun.”

“We're on a date. How is stopping a boring bank robbery going to be more fun than this?”

“Says the guy who has had enough fun in his life to last him two life times. ”

“Yes. Dying and coming back to a family that resents me, and a world that resents me even more is very 'fun'.” 

“It beats accomplishing nothing in your life...” I said, trying to cheer him up, but the fact remains that my problems are nothing compared to his and we both know it. “You stay here and keep our seats warm. I'll be right back.” I rose from my seat and hurried to the exit. 

“Steph-!” 

I went to his car that was parked behind a building. I got my backpack that contained my change of clothing and my other change of clothing; the Spoiler outfit. Then I climbed in the back seat and started dressing. 

I was half dressed just as Jason came up to the window and knocked on it and then he looked in. “Turn around!” I said.

He rolled his eyes and turned around. 

Once I was dressed, I unlocked the back door and got out and finished putting my boots on. He reached under one of the seats and pulled out a case with his twin pistols in it. He tucked one gun in the back of his pants then took off his dress coat and swapped it for a hoodie. He didn't bother grabbing the rest of his gear.

“This is gonna be a blast.” He grumbled.

“You don't have to come, Jason. I can take care of it myself.” 

“Yeah. I'm sure.” He slammed a new clip into his second gun and tucked it away on his person.

A block away. He let me take the lead and he said 'holler' if I need him. We were at the back of the building. I tried to open the back door but it was locked.

“Spoiler.” He pointed up above me to a vent about nine feet off the ground. He clasped his hands together waiting to give me a boost up. I quickly put one foot in his hands and then my next on his shoulder and then balanced both my feet on his shoulders as I struggled to open the vent. Finally, I got it open and started to climb in.

I came to an exit inside the building. I heard the criminals talking to the hostages as I crawled on my knees to see how many gunned men there were and then I saw Jason crouched on the second story behind some furniture, with his hood pulled up and shadowing his face. I don't know how in the world he got inside just as fast as me.

One of the thugs pointed a gun to a hostage and started threatening them. That was my cue. I ran to him and disarmed the thug before he knew what hit him.

“This really isn't your lucky day, boys. Cuz I'm here to spoil your asses!... And not in a good way.” I said. Okay, so it sounded better in my head. 

“Why you little-” Finally, the fun started. I started beating the crap out of the thugs. I had a lot of energy to spend and I was probably having way too much fun.

“Look out!” Jason said, from his hiding spot where he had been quietly observing.

“I know what I'm doing!” Just then a guy tackled me to the ground and started punching me in the face.

“Not- the face!” I said, as I was trying to get out from under him, but I was having a hard time performing the escape move. “Don't worry—uh!-- Hood! I got this under—ah!-- control!” I said to Jason between each punch in the face. 

Next thing I know Jason grabbed the guy with a headlock and pulled him off of me. He pushed the thug to the ground and did a swing kick that came down on the mans face with his heel and knocked the man out instantly. There was a lot of blood pouring from the thugs head. It looked brutal. 

“Spoiler! Cops are about to crash the party. We need to get out of here now!” Jason said, as he took out a few guys. 

“Give me a sec!” I threw a batarang at a thug that was trying to grab a hostage as his bargaining chip.

“We don't have a sec! Come on.” I saw Jason running away from me as I clobbered another thug on the head with a lamp from one of the desk.

“Put your hands in the air!!” The S.W.A.T team said, rushing in and pointing their guns at all of us.

“Damn. He wasn't exaggerating.” I surrendered my hands. I looked around, but I couldn't see Jason anywhere. They arrested the thugs and circled me as they helped the hostages to safety. 

“Spoiler. You are under arrest for vigilantism.” They started reading off my rights.

“Sorry, donut hogs! I'm not in the mood for this. Consider your plans 'spoiled'.” I kicked one of the cops and tried for an escape.

“Stop! Or we'll shoot!” I kept going and they fired away. I may have underestimated them. They had all the exits covered and more cops where filing in once they heard the gun shots. Resisting arrest was probably a really bad idea. 

One of the cops grabbed me and next thing I know, four or so men are all holding onto me trying to restrain me. I tried to fight back and when my strength failed me I started verbally abusing them with the best of my ability. “I'm telling you the truth, Pigs! If you don't let me go, someone bad is gonna show up and kick your asses black and blue!”

“Yeah... Right.” A cop said almost laughing. 

“Hey, hey, Spoiler! I hear Batman's been keeping you off duty after that embarrassing run in with penguins men awhile back. Hahaha!”

“Yeah, yeah, you're hilarious. I want to speak with commissioner Gordan. I'm sure he won't like the idea of you guys arresting Batman's protégé.” 

“Protégé? Word on the street says yer just a little brat who follows Batman around and gets in his way.” They all started laughing. 

“Is that really the word on the street?” I said, out loud to myself and then snapped out of it, “If you boys let me go now, I promise to try and keep my boyfriend from breaking all of your bones. What do you say?”

“Haha! Oh sure Anything for you, baby doll. Hahah!” 

Man, these cops are really getting on my nerves. They're even more obnoxious than the criminals. 

“You think I'm kidding?”

“So uh- Who's your boyfriend, Spoiler? Is he imaginary?” A cop said as they all start laughing as if they're are acting. 

“Har. Har. You know, you boys have a real shallow sense of humor. If it can even be called humor... But in all seriousness, I think it's in everyone's best interest to let me go now. Before I resort to 'Spoiling'.”

They laughed louder. “Sweet heart, if you were capable of doing that, wouldn't you have done it by now?”

“I resent that! You disrespectful pompous ass!” I said.

“Sorry, but you are grounded. And Daddy dearest can't do nothin about it.”

“Did you just use the word 'grounded'?... Wow.” For some reason I feel like it's very plausible that Bruce could be talking in their ear piece and telling them what to say. “Are you sure you guys are the good guys?” I said, as they handcuffed me and walked me to a police car. 

The officer in charge came up to me with a concerned look on his face. “Spoiler, do you have any connection at all to the Red Hood?”

“Yeah. He's an ass who's better at 'spoiling' plans than me. Oh, and he may or may not be my boyfriend.” I grinned, “Why are you asking?”

The cop glanced around. “Take her back to GCPD right now.” They shoved me in the car and protected my head as they did it.

I tried to think of a way to get out of this mess. “Guess he's just going to leave me here.” I grumbled to myself as I watched the cops outside of the car. “I should have guessed 'Every man for himself' is his motto... What a nice boyfriend, that one.” I looked outside the window and to see something fall in the middle of the cops and instantly a cloud of smoke covered the place. One cop put his hand on the window and he leaned forward coughing. 

“Oh, boy.” I said. Then there was gun fire sounding off amidst the thick smoke. I ducked down in the back seat, as the yelling and grunting got louder. A cop was thrown against the car and Jason was barely visible a few feet from the car as another cop tried to shoot him. I'm glad to say he's not the worse boyfriend anymore. Then he smashes a cops head into the car window. It was excessive, to say the least. 

Jason opened the door and pulled me to my feet. “Come on!” he grabbed my arm and steered me through the smoke and the crowd of mostly blinded cops. 

I still had my hands cuffed as we started running down the street and then down an alley. There were some cops running after us. “Why aren't we heading back to the car?!”

“The cops have the rode blocked that direction. We'll have to get them off our trail and then head back.” he said, as we led the cops on a maze like chase. 

“Over here.” he said, and we started heading toward a wooded park and ran through the trees until we got to a bridge by the lake. We ran under the bridge which was not visible from the trail. 

“Did we lose them?” I said. He nodded. We both leaned forward panting for air and then Jason started chuckling and looked at me.

“What?” I said, still panting.

“You have got to be the worst vigilante I have ever met~” He said and still chuckling.

I swung both my balled fist at his shoulder and hit him. He tried to block the assault. I'm wasn't that bad.” 

He stared at me a second and then started laughing again. I pursed my lips as he tried to stop laughing by slapping his cheeks and taking really deep breathes.

“Ahh, god. You were just so- so terrible. And the things you say... they’re so cheesy!” he burst into laughter again, but I was getting less and less amused. I put a stern face on and started walking away.

“Aww come on, Steph. Don't be like that. I think its cute when you say stupid stuff.” He said, while walking after me still with an amused expression on his face. He grabbed me in a playful head lock and pulled me up close to him, playfully. 

I didn't appreciate him making fun of me and then turning around and practically man handling me. So I over reacted and kicked him in the balls, really hard.

“Ahh!” He fell to his knees with his hands over his parts. He looked at me shocked. “Ow...” 

I started to laugh. He saw me trying to hide my smile then he started to laugh while almost shedding a tear. “You sick sadist.” 

He changed his position into a more relaxed one, now that the pain was subsiding.

“Sorry. I wasn't meaning to hit you that hard.” I said. 

“Really? Because it seemed premeditated.”

I don't know what my face was, but he started chuckling again. I sat down next to him.

“I screwed this date up pretty bad, didn't I? Any chance for another chance?” I said.

He smirked at me. “Sure. Why not.”

I grinned and then looked at my hands. “Hey, you didn't happen to grab a key did you?” I nudged my cuffed hands at him. He reached in his pocket and pulled out his key chain and then positioned one of my wrist in front of himself as he stuck two lock picks into the cuff and started to pick it. 

I was staring at him. “Jason?”

“Yeah?” he glanced at me.

“Last week when Nightwing dropped by. He and Bruce were-” I stopped, not sure how to proceed as he finished unlocking the cuff on one hand and then pulled my other hand in front of him.

“I over heard them talking about Tim. And they said that they have a really good theory about who shot Tim.” 

Jason's eyes slowly drifted up away from my hand, then he quickly looked back down at what he was doing. “What was their 'really good theory'?”

“I don't know. I was hoping you knew and could tell me...?”

He looked in the opposite direction of me and then back at my hands. “I don't know... They don't exactly tell me things.”

He unlocked the cuff. “Thanks...” I rubbed my wrist, “If you did know something, you would tell me, right?”

He looked me in the eyes and stared a few seconds. “Right.” he got to his feet and helped me up. “I'll go get the car since I can pass as a pedestrian.”

I nodded. He caught my vibe and hesitates to leave, but then he turns and runs off. Leaving me there alone, to over think and become more curious and suspicious. 

The ride back to the manor was painfully silent. I wasn't sure why he was so quiet, but I know I wasn't feeling the romantic vibe that I had been hoping for all night. I kept looking at him waiting for him to talk, but he only glanced at me with his peripheral vision. 

We pulled up to the front of the house. I grabbed my backpack and got out of the car without saying goodbye.

“Stephanie, wait!...” He got out and ran up to me. “Is something wrong? I feel like you're mad at me, but I don't know why.”

“Yeah. I guess I am...” I paused for a long moment.

“Are you going to tell me?”

“Jason... I like you so much. I can't stop thinking about you, and I want to be with you so bad. I even lie to Alfred and Bruce, because I know they wouldn't approve of us dating. But I can't help but feel like... you aren't telling me things that I desperately want to know. I just want you to trust me with the truth.”

He looked down and thought about it. “Time will... tell...?” He said and shrugged like he wasn't sure what he was saying.

“Jason... I'm sorry. But that's a ridiculous response.”

“I know, I just don't know what to say to you.”

“Just start by being open with me about how you feel.” I waited for him to speak. 

He stood there trying to think of something to say me. 

I looked down at my backpack and then gestured it toward him. “I packed lingerie... that's how I was wanting this night to go.” I said. It was my guilty confession as much as it was a bribe. He lifted both his eyebrows in surprise before his face returned to a neutral expression. I waited for him to say something but he remained silent. “Jason... I just can't be in a relationship with someone who isn't going to be truthful with me.” Again, I waited for his reaction, but I can't read his expression. 

Man, things were so much easier with Tim. I could always see his guilt or secrets seeping through his eyes when he didn't tell me something important. Jason and Bruce are two guys that are full of secrets. Secrets that I'm starting to realize I may never know about, no matter how close I get to either of them. Now suddenly, I'm so much more appreciative of Tim Drake and Dick Grayson. Two guys that are so pure of heart they can't live a lie. Those two boys who are so different from Jason and Bruce in so many ways. I miss those two boys... But then I look at Jason, as a sad frown grows on his face and his beautiful green eyes reel me in like a fish on a hook. 

“Steph... There's just things I can't tell you. Thing's I don't want to tell you... I'm sorry.”

“If you can't trust me. How am I supposed to trust you?... I want to, but let's be honest. There are a lot of reasons why your whole family thinks I shouldn't trust you... Are they right, Jason?”

He puts his hands in his pockets. “...Probably.”

“Then what's a relationship without trust?” 

He looked down and thought about it a few moments and then nodded like he came to an understanding. “It would be a dysfunctional relationship.” he said, and then backed away from me slowly. “Goodnight, Steph... Maybe I'll see you around.” he went back to his car and I stood there wondering if we just broke up, after we just got together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be out in a couple days. if all goes well.


	10. The Turning Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce starts sharing details with Steph, in the investigation of Tim's case. He shows her a surveillance feed, but it wasn't what Steph was hoping to find.  
> Later that night Bruce host a dinner party with some rich and powerful people. And somebody crashes it.
> 
> Then, a late night walk to the cottage sets things in motion, for better or for worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me all day.

The next morning I went to the kitchen and took a seat at the bar and collapsed my head on the table and let out a loud groan. 

“Is everything alright, Miss?” Alfred said.

“No.”

“Was the girls night not fun?”

I lifted my head off the table and groaned again. “Just a little hungover, Alf.” I wasn't at all, but I sure felt like I was.

“In that case, I don't feel the least bit sorry for you.” He set a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me and then two aspirins with a big glass of water. 

“Thanks...” I said, and then took a bite and suddenly felt like I was gonna hurl. I spit the eggs out onto my plate just as Alfred turned back around. He looked insulted and disgusted. 

“No offense, Alf. But these eggs are awful. They taste like sulfur.” I said, and then drank down my glass of water.

“Really?” He took a bite from his own plate. “They taste fine to me...” Then he looked at me with a suspicious look.

“What? You think I'm making it up?” I got up from my seat and started out of the kitchen. 

“Oh, Miss Stephanie? Before you run off, Master Bruce wants to see you down in the cave.”

“Great.” I moaned.

“And don't forget, we are having a dinner party tonight at six O'clock.”

Bruce was working on a project as I walked toward him. “Stephanie... Alfred was telling me that I should be more open with you about Tim's case.” 

I was surprised that Bruce cared about how I felt, but tried to hide the expression on my face.

“Take a seat.” He pointed to the Bat-computer. “And I'll show you everything I found.” 

“What's the catch?”

“There is no catch.” Bruce pulls up surveillance feed showing the outside of a building during the day. 

On the screen there was a group of men standing around. Bruce fast-forwarded, then I reconsigned the place. It was where Tim had gotten shot. Tim shows up on the video, crouched behind a halfway built brick wall. He snooped around the place staying low to the ground and then went out of the cameras view. Bruce slowed down the video to a natural speed.

“Keep watching.” he said. 

I watched with wide eyes not wanting to miss a thing, as Red Hood drops down from a high place into the cameras view and scouts out the place. I could tell that something caught his eye as he made his way from one camera's view, and a few seconds later, to another camera's view. 

Tim was spying on the thugs from behind a large row of bricks, as Jason was walking to the edge of the building right above him and then he looked down at him. 

Tim didn't notice that someone was watching him from less than a few meters away. Jason sneaked away, then Tim turned around and looked up where Jason had been standing a few seconds earlier. Almost like he sensed someone had been there, or maybe he heard something.

Bruce fast-forwarded the surveillance feed again. Tim was sneaking along the bricks still. A thug was walking by to join his friends but stopped once he saw Red Robin crawling around the corner low to the ground. The thug grabbed a hammer and bent forward, hurrying over to Tim's position hoping he could clobber him on the head, meanwhile Tim had no idea he was being stalked. 

My heart started racing at the anxiety of what was going to happen next, but then Red Hood dropped down into the cameras view and was stalking the stalker. 

You could see even through the camera, that the thug had a big grin on his face as he inched closer to the unsuspecting Red Robin. He stopped and waited a moment, which was a big mistake because it gave Red Hood enough time to stealthily catch up to him. 

Jason was a foot behind the thug and the thug was roughly twenty feet from Tim. Jason crouched there a few moments without the thug noticing, as the thug looked like he was silently cracking up at the fact that Red Robin hadn't noticed him yet. Then his smile suddenly left his face and he turned to look behind him. Red Hood had probably whispered some wise remark, catching the thugs attention, or maybe the thug just sensed his presence.

Soon as the thug looked at Jason, he flinched, but Jason was even quicker in reacting and covered his mouth and began suffocating him. There was a bit of a power struggle between the two guys, but Jason was still winning and Tim still hadn't noticed. 

“So Jason protected Tim... I was right then.” I said to Bruce.

“Keep watching.”

After the thug fell unconscious, or judging by the seconds counting on the camera feed, he probably fell dead, Red Hood left his body and then went out of sight again. A few seconds too late, Tim turned around and saw the dead body in the pathway. He went and checked for a pulse and then looked around again, before disappearing out of the cameras sight. 

On the next camera, Tim climbed to a vantage point and then put his hand to his comm then started talking. He climbed back down stealthily.

The other camera showed Jason looking around the corner of the row of bricks watching the thugs, as Tim sneaked up on him. He reached his rod out and tapped Jason's shoulder. Jason quickly turned his head and looked at him. I could see Tim's lips moving through the surveillance cameras as they both talked for about a minute. Then Jason pointed in one direction, probably telling Tim to get lost. Jason got up and ran, jumped, and pulled himself up a ten-foot wall and was out of the cameras range. Tim looks around for a few seconds and then followed. 

Bruce fast-forwarded. I assume there was some kind of commotion because the thugs were all looking up at the roof where Jason and Tim had gone. Then some of them ran away, while others looked up and started throwing their hands up in the air as if they were cheering. Suddenly, Red Robin fell down from somewhere off camera and tumbled to the ground where the thugs were. It scared more of the thugs away, but the others that remained slowly inched their way closer to Tim's motionless body. 

A few minutes go by on the camera. Some of the thugs were kicking Tim's shoe, testing him. I could already see a puddle of blood circling Tim's upper body. 

All of the thugs looked to their right and half of them started running away in the opposite direction, just as Red Hood ran into the cameras view. He kicked a thug in the head then threw another thug against the wall and punched him. He smashed the next guys head into the wall, repetitively, leaving behind a bloody stain on the brick before tossing the man's body to the side.

He turned around and ducked just as a wrench was being swung at his head. He blocked and disarmed the thug by stabbing two of his fingers in the thug's eye, probably blinding the man permanently and then using the wrench to smash against his skull. 

I was feeling very disturbed witnessing such an extreme level of violence and then looked at Bruce who remained unemotional. Hardened.

I looked back at the camera feed. Once all the thugs were gone, he got down next to Tim and felt for a pulse. He took off his helmet and grabbed Tim's comm out of his ear and put it in his own ear and said something. He dropped the comm, glanced over his shoulder and then put his helmet back on quickly. He sat Tim up carefully and then carried him out of the cameras view. 

Bruce stopped the camera feed and looked at me. “What do you think happened on that roof?”

“I don't know. Anything could have happened, Bruce. But I don't think Jason did it.”

Bruce rewound the film back to where Tim’s body falls from the sky. “Look carefully, Stephanie. What do you see?” He pushed play and then rewound and then repeated. That's when I saw it. There was a glimmer of silver dropping with Tim's body. Finally, I recognized the shape it made as being a rather large handgun. 

“There's a gun!” I jumped to my feet, “Did you go back there and get it?”

“Yes... But it wasn't there. I'll show you why. Look.” He fast-forwarded to when Jason came on the scene. Jason beats the guys up and then got down by Tim. He took off his helmet, talked on the comm, then for a second he looked behind him and then put his helmet back on. 

“Did you see it?” Bruce asked.

“No, what is it?”

“Right there.” He pointed and put the tape playing forward in slow-motion. Jason glanced behind himself and that's when I noticed it. His hand reached down and picked up the gun and put it in his jacket. Smoothly. 

Bruce replayed it one more time. It was moving frame by frame showing Jason looking over his shoulder, then Bruce paused it right when Jason looked into the camera. Which I didn't notice he did at all when I saw it in normal speed.

Bruce stared at me for a few moments. “He knew where the camera was. I believe that's why he was being sneaky when he picked the gun up and hid it in his jacket. He knew I'd be watching this.”

“Okay. But that still doesn't prove anything, Bruce.”

“No, it doesn't. But it does look very suspicious.”

“Are you kidding me?! That's enough to make you believe he shot Tim?” 

“Ask any member of this family their opinion about that footage. Then have them to tell you their personal experiences with Jason. They all will tell you the same thing- ”

“Which is what?!”

“That he can't be trusted!... I hoped this video would help you understand my concerns with you 'befriending' Jason... Tim got himself in this mess because he disobeyed my rules. He felt comfortable with Jason and he put his guard down.”

“Now, you're victim blaming Tim?”

“Tim tried to give Jason a chance and he got burned bad!...So, from now on... you will stay away from Jason unless I or Nightwing are there to help keep him under control... It's my house. My rules. That's just the way it's going to be.”

“So are you going to kick me out if I see him again? And then what? Take away my visiting rights from Tim too?”

“Maybe. If I have to. It may not seem like it, but I'm trying to protect you, Stephanie. The way I didn't protect Tim. I knew he was contacting Jason. But I let it go, and now Tim may never wake up from the coma. So now... I am just as guilty as Tim... or Jason... They're both my responsibility.”

“Bruce... You can't carry all of that. It isn't 'your' responsibility. They're each responsible for themselves and their own actions. Not you... And you can't pin it on Jason either. Not until you know for sure he's guilty.”

“I know that!!”He burst into a bitter rage. “If I 'had' real evidence, Jason's ass would already be rotting in jail!!...” He tried to calm his rage and then sat back down, “I've covered everything, but the fact remains. Tim's case is a cold case... I don't want to think Jason would do it, Stephanie. But between Tim being shot with Jason's gun. And then Jason hiding the fact. What else am I supposed to think?”

“So it looks bad, but-” 

Bruce interrupted me. “What does he say to you, Stephanie?... What does he say that has you and Tim so wrapped around his finger?”

“What? He doesn't say anything. I can barely get him to talk to me... Bruce, I know you asked Jason about the bullet, but did you ever think to just ask him what happened on the roof?”

“Of course I thought about it... I just don't know how to talk to him anymore. It's like walking on eggshells around him. I'm afraid I'll say something that will cause him to run away again... or worst.” 

“Why would Jason be sticking around, if he was guilty? It doesn't make sense. He has all capability to get away with the crime. He doesn't like you. So why stick around, huh?” 

“Maybe he's trying to manipulate us. Or he just really loves a challenge. He might be trying to see how much he can get away with...”

I was about to tell Bruce he's mad when he interrupts my thoughts.

“Now tell me. Did Jason ever tell you during that time you 'investigated' Tim's case, that Tim had followed him up to the roof, in which Tim falls down cracking his head open five minutes later?”

I was desperately trying to think of a smart response to put out the flame of Bruce’s theory. “If you think he's so guilty, why did you start welcoming him back in the family? And what did Alfred say to him to get him to cooperate with you?”

“Because, guilty or not, he's still the only lead we have to what happened, and I don't know what Alfred said to him to get him to stick around. But I want to keep him as close as possible.”

“So you're playing him?...”

“If that's what you want to call it, then yes. With him it's necessary... Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

I shook my head and backed away. “Do what you have to, Bruce. Just keep me out of it... And be careful that Jason doesn't find out. I doubt he'll forgive you for 'falsely' being nice to him.”

That night, Bruce Wayne was throwing a huge party. I wore a soft pink dress that went just past my knees and a pair of high heels. I went down the stairs and to the foyer. Everything was decorated in ivy, with candles lit on every table. It was gorgeous. Bruce said it was a 'casual' dinner party with a lot of rich and important people. 

I didn't see anyone I knew until I finally laid eyes on Bruce. He was wearing his black suit and bow tie and standing with a group of people. He had his charming playboy persona on.

I tried to smile and look elegant, but I was actually feeling really out of place and sorta nervous. Then I saw Jason, he was wearing a dark suit and tie. Standing with a hand in his pocket and his other hand holding a drink. His back was up against the wall as he observed everyone instead of interacting. Despite his cold demeanor, he seemed like the nicest person in the room. Plus, I needed to know why he was here.

I grinned at him as I approached. “Well, hello.” 

He looked at me and smirked. “Hey.” and then sipped his drink. 

“So, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be the last person to come to one of these.”

“Bruce invited me. I have a business transaction, later on tonight.”

I instantly felt annoyance, knowing the real reason Bruce invited him. “So whatever happened to Bruce and you not liking each other? Are you guys like buddies again or something?”

“No. Our interest is aligned. That's all. Nothing more...” I wondered if he really believed that, or if he suspects anything at all.

He looked at me. “You look nice.” 

“You don't look too bad yourself.” I said, with a big grin. He looked around the room. 

His hair was styled in a classy way. He looked so handsome and somehow the hair style softened all his scars on his face, but at the same time, he looked more pale than usual. 

“Jason.” I said as he looked at me. “Last time I saw you... Did we... break up?” 

“I don't know, Steph. This isn't the time or place to talk about it.” 

I was about to be confrontational about the matter, but a heavyset older woman was walking toward us, with Bruce introducing her to everyone. She shook someone's hand and then came toward Jason and I. Bruce caught up with her. “Mrs. Smith. This is Stephanie Brown, the student I was telling you about who's been staying at the manor.”

“How do you do, Miss Brown? I hear you are quite the athlete.”

“Oh, well, I'm-”

"Oh yes.” she interrupted me, “I can see it now. You are a sturdy looking young lady.”

“er... thank you.”

“Bruce was telling me you are going to Harvard next year. What are your plans there?”

“Oh... well, actually, I'm planning on-” 

She cut me off again. “And who is this striking young lad?” she said, looking Jason up and down.

“This is Jimerson. He's the one who will be working with you on... your case.” Bruce said.

“Oh?... I hear wonderful things about you, Mr. Jimerson.”

“Oh, really?” Jason said, and then subtly gave Bruce a look.

“Yes. The story goes you're like a shark amongst betas when it comes to business. Or so they say.”

“'They'?” 

“Yes, I hear you're a hard man to please.” she laughed and hit him in the stomach playfully. 

I almost laughed, only because it's kinda true, but I have no idea how she would know that about him.

“I'm looking forward to doing business with you, Mr. Jimerson.”

“As am I, Ma'am.” Jason said. 

“So, I hear you have a military background?”

“Yes, I do...” 

“Jimerson was in the special forces before he became a business man.” Bruce said.

“Really? That must be how you got your horrible scars?”

I couldn't help but start feeling really annoyed with this intrusive woman. I looked at Jason.

“Yes...” he said.

“Stop being so secretive, boy, tell me the details.” she said, laughing.

I was so tempted to interrupt and say something catty. I don't know why, but I'm starting to feel really upset when people don't treat Jason right. How did I become so 'protective' of him so quickly? 

“I got blown up.” he said, in a serious tone, “And I survived with a few missing limbs and slightly crispy skin. Luckily, the magic of plastic surgery was able to put me back together again. I'm only missing my liver and most of my heart.”

She looked horrified but tried to hide it. “Oh, Well... Thank God for plastic surgery.” She laughed. “It's a shame, really. You would be such a handsome man if it wasn't for all those hideous scars. And on your face of all places.” she poked at his face, but he didn't flinch. “They are very distracting...” she was tracing one of the scars by his eyebrow and then the one by his lip. It was starting to irritate me seeing her hands poking at him, and he just stood there and took it. Then she continued, “Talk about the face only a mother could love.” She laughed as if she was trying to get everyone else to laugh.

I couldn't believe what I just heard. I glanced at Jason, who as usual appears unaffected by her words, as the people listening laughed too. Except for Bruce, who had a straight face as he stared at Jason during the several very long seconds of unrestricted mockery. Then Jason glanced at me, and for the slightest moment, I saw a look in his eyes that I had never seen so predominate before. It was hurt. I felt anger rising up quickly as I looked back at the woman. With every ounce of my body, I put into the force and punched her in the jaw. She fell to the ground and was knocked out instantly. Everyone in the room gasped. Even Jason. Then I saw the look on Bruce's face and I knew I was in big trouble. I looked down at my throbbing fist and saw blood on it and that's when I realized the severity of what I had done.

Once Mrs. Smith was coming back to consciousness, Bruce grabbed my arm. He forcibly walked me to the door while apologizing to all the guest as we went and then opened the front door and pushed me outside. “Get out. And don't come back until every guest is gone.” Bruce growled and then shut the door in my face. I turned around and walked down the steps. I rubbed my arms from the chill of the cold night. I figured I'd go hangout at Bruce's cottage a couple minutes walk from here. I just hope it's unlocked. I started heading across the backyard lawn when I heard someone running up behind me. 

“Stephanie, hold up!” I looked behind me as Jason ran toward me. “I thought you might need this.” He handed me my coat. 

“Oh- thank you.” I put it on and winced when I accidentally bent my wrist a little. Jason grabbed my hand and looked at it. “Can you move your fingers?” I hesitated but was able to wiggle them. “Good. It's not broken. But you did break the skin pretty bad.” 

I looked at the wound. “Yeah. I may have knocked some of her teeth out... Hey, I was planning on hanging out at the cottage until Bruce lets me back in the house. You wanna come?” 

“I can't. Bruce will be expecting me back. That is if Mrs. Smith can recover. ” 

“Oh, okay.”

“But uh... I can walk you to the door.”

I grinned. “I'd like that.” I stepped forward and then tripped on a sprinkler and fell down on the lawn. 

“Steph!” Jason got down next to me and pulled my face out of the grass. “Are you all right?” 

“ow.” I said, and then started to laugh with embarrassment. I could see him smiling at me in the dark. He pulled me up to my feet. I brushed my dress off with my one good hand and he held on to my arm and coddled me the rest of the way. 

We were walking up the steps to the cottage. Jason was still coddling me as I favored my damaged fist. Then he let go of me to kick over a large rock in the garden and grabbed a key and handed it to me. 

“I get the feeling you know all the hiding places around here, don't you?” I said.

“Just some.” 

I grinned. He probably knows all the hiding places around the manor. Places maybe even Bruce and Alfred may not know about. 

“You know, Steph... you really shouldn't have done that back there. Especially not for my sake.”

“Maybe. Maybe not... She just made me so mad and you didn't look like you were going to do anything about it.”

“That's because I don't care what she says.” 

“Well, sorry if my skins not as thick as yours.” I said, as we slowly walk to the door.

“She may have been rude, but she didn't deserve that.”

“Like hell she didn't.”

“It was a little excessive.”

“That's really funny coming from a vigilante who 'kills' people.” 

He grabbed my arm to stop me. “I mean it, Steph. It wasn't worth you hurting your hand over it. You're lucky it's not broken.”

“Yeah... I guess so...” then I grinned at him, “But you gotta admit, it was pretty funny when her feet went up over her head like that. I hit her so hard.”

Jason was smirking. “Yeah. You did.” 

We came to a stop at the door. I unlocked the door and then looked at him. “Guess this is goodnight then?”

He nodded in agreement. 

“See you later.” I turned around to open the door.

“Hey, Steph?”

“Yeah?” 

He came up to me and gently cupped my face between his hands and then kissed me. I kissed him back for a delicious few moments before he pulled away from the kiss, slightly. “Thank you...” he said in a breathy voice. “Nobody has ever stood up for me before.” He rested his forehead against mine. 

I inched in for another kiss and put my arms around his neck. He kissed me back. His kisses were more passionate than that very first time we kissed, back on the balcony in Tim's room. 

I pushed the door open from behind me and inched my way into the house, pulling him along slowly to carefully introduce the idea to him. Once we were through the doorway, I peppered him with kisses as his breathing hastened its rhythm, then he kicked the door shut with his foot.

The cottage was lit by a few lamps and our clothes were strung across the place. We laid on the couch together with only a blanket on top of us. He was on his back and I was on my side facing in with my head resting on his chest. I listened to his heartbeat, that sometimes lost its rhythm.

“Do you have a heart palpitation?” I said, and then lifted my head and looked at his face.

“Sorta. It's not a big deal.” he said. The way he said it made me smile, then I laid my head down on his shoulder.

I traced the pattern of the scars on his torso. There were marks where the force of a crowbar had broken his bones, and after being hit in the same place more than once, the splintered bones ripped through the skin. Leaving behind what are now large ridged scars covering his ribcage and chest. 

I leaned toward where his ribs had the worst of the scarring. I kissed his cold skin right atop the scars and then looked up at him. “I find them beautiful,” I said.

“How?... They're just proof that I'm a broken mess.”

“No... They tell me that you're strong... That somebody wanted to destroy you forever. And you made it out whole...They represent strength... Survival... And pain.” I reached up and kissed the scar on his neck. “They're beautiful to me... All of them.” I brushed my fingers on the scar by his lips. 

He leaned in and buried his head between my neck and shoulder and then pulled me in close. His hair was still damp with sweat, but his skin was already growing rapidly colder. He shivered and then buries himself in my body heat and pulls the blanket up. 

I pulled his face out from hiding and kissed his lips. It quickly escalated to deeper kissing. I pushed him to his back as I started to get up on his lap, with my hands resting on his chest, but then his phone started buzzing. We ignored it. We were enjoying the sensation too much to stop. The phone buzzed again for its second round of obnoxious noise and growing more irritating. Jason sighed heavily with irritability and grabbed his phone off of the floor.

He looked at it and sighed again. “Steph, I have to go. Bruce is wondering where I am.” 

I got off of him. He stood up and chased down his clothing items. I wrapped myself in the blanket as I sat on my knees and watched him scurry around trying to get dressed. “Jason?”

“Yeah.” he said, half paying attention.

“Do you think we could ever have more of this?... More of us?” 

He pulled his pants up and then looked at me slightly confused. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, besides just this... we could also have more? Like a friendship? Or partnership?” Now I have his full attention. A soft grin spread across his face. Then he turned his attention back to what he was supposed to be doing. He started buttoning up his shirt and put his tie around his neck. Then slid his suit jacket on top of his half way buttoned up shirt. His belt was still unbuckled and his shoelaces untied. 

He looked like an adorable wreck as he scurried to finish getting dress. I got off the couch and turned him to face me. “Jason... Let me help.” I said, as I buckled his belt and he frantically worked on buttoning up his shirt. 

“Jason. You need to relax.” He looked at me as I pushed his hands away in order to takeover. I started tying his tie. He was staring at me while I did it, with a sad frown on his face.

“I want more of us too.” he said so shyly that he almost whispered it.

The next morning I went down for breakfast. “Good morning!” I sang it.

Alfred and Bruce were already having breakfast. “Good morning to you too, Miss Brown.” 

“Stephanie.” Bruce acknowledged while still reading a file.

I reached over and rubbed Bruce's hair and then kissed his cheek. He looked completely shocked and almost horrified. “Is everything all right, Stephanie?” 

“Everything's just perfect, Bruce.” I said, with a big grin on my face. He and Alfred exchanged looks. I walked around the table and gave Alfred a kiss on the head.

“My word. You are pleasantly cheerful this morning, Miss Stephanie.”

“Guess I woke up on the right side of the bed for once.”

“Hmm...What do you think, Alfred? Has the real Stephanie been abducted and been replaced with this... 'joy'?”

“Sometimes people are just happy without having a reason. You should ask Miss Stephanie how she does it, Sir.” 

“hmm... Maybe she's bipolar.”

I grinned. “Keep guessing.” 

Bruce stared at me and then once he realized I was all up for playing games, he glared. “What happened to the-” Alfred kicked his shin under the table. “the girl... we know?” I’m sure he changed his sentence. 

“Oh. I think she died sometime last night.” I said, hoping my words would leave a lasting effect. 

After breakfast I went up to my room. I stuffed my bag full of clothing and anything that was rightfully mine. Then I went to Tim’s room and laid down on the bed beside him. I talked to him for a good thirty minutes then I received a text. I kissed Tim's forehead and got off the bed and grabbed my bag and sneaked down the stairs. I peeked into the kitchen and set a note on the counter and went out the door. I looked back at the place for a moment. I didn't realize how attached I had gotten to this place, to Alfred and even Bruce. I turned and shut the door behind me and ran down the steps to Jason, who was leaning against his car. 

“How did they handle it?” He said while opening the car door. 

I threw my bag in the back and then looked at him. “I don't know. I left a note.”

“Are you sure about this, Steph?”

“Yeah. Are you?”

He softly smiled. “Yeah... I am.” 

We drove down the long driveway, as the Manor got lost in the trees. I was anxious and excited. Who knows what this adventure is going to bring.


	11. The story he never told

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who really shot Tim? 
> 
> This is the story that the bat family doesn't know and could only speculate (see the last chapter), except for Tim... and maybe Jason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place right before the events of chapter 3. And is not from Stephanie's pov. She doesn't know this story.

Jason was looking around the corner of a pile of bricks waiting for one of Penguins right hand men to arrive so he could kill him. He felt a tap on his shoulder. He turns around quickly to see Red Robin crouched down a few feet away from him. “Red. Why are you here?” Red Hood said in a little more than a whisper.

“I was about to ask you the same thing. Did you kill that guy over there, Jason?” He points back from the way he came.

“Yeah. I did... Because he almost killed you. I've been watching you. You've been very sloppy today.”

“Yeah, well, I just sneaked up on you, too.”

“Only difference is you're not some petty criminal... But I'm not really in the mood for your company at the moment. So why don't you just take you and your bird shit and go home, before you crap on all my dreams.” Jason scoffed.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“Y- Just go home! Let me handle this.”

“No. Me and Batman are spoiling- I mean- infiltrating their plans.” Red Robin said.

“Your girlfriend's rubbing off on you.”

“Hey! Why don't you go ahead and take the day off? Me and Batman will finish this.”

“Day off? Hell no.”

“Heck yes. We were here first.”

“Are you sure about that?... You don't know whats really going on here, 'Red Robin'. This is my fight, not yours. So get out of my way.”

“...Only if you promise not to kill these guys... Just arrest them and me and Batman wont interfere with how many bones you want to break, as long as you keep them alive, okay?”

“Fine.” he said, and then got a running start as he jumps and pulls himself up a ten foot wall.

Tim waits a minute and then follows after him out of suspicion. He climbs to the top of the building and sneaks up behind Jason, who was kneeling down by a large bag that had some gun clips, a water bottle and a blanket. Jason pulls out his sniper rifle and then looks through the scope of the gun at the thugs down below. 

“Jason!!” Tim said, with a scolding tone. 

Jason turns around. “What the--? I told you to get lost! And stop yelling my name in the field, ass-hole.”

“You are unbelievable. We just made a deal!”

“No, we didn't.”

“Yes, we did.”

“I didn't say 'fine' as in 'I agree', I said 'fine' as in 'be that way'" he said, and then aims his gun at the thugs below, "It's all in the tone of the voice, Robin.”

Tim grabs his gun. “I won't let you shoot those people, Jason! They don't deserve that.”

“Get your hand off my gun.” he said, still trying to aim the gun. Tim pulls hard on it toward himself as they fought over the gun. “I said let go!!” Jason pushes him to the ground.

“Don't make me stop you, Jason.”

Jason chuckles. “Always such a kidder, Tim.” he looks back through his gun again.

“Wow. You are such an ass today.” then quickly gets to his feet and runs into Jason's waist knocking him off his feet and causing him to drop his gun. Tim sat on top of him and punches him over and over, but Jason grabs both his fist to restrain him. Tim made the mistake of not sitting low enough down on his hips, so he lifts his leg up and wraps it around Tim's throat and pull down while still holding onto Tim's fist. He wasn't trying to get Tim off of him. He was trying to defeat him and defeat him quickly so he could get back to work without his annoying kid brother around. 

“No hard feelings, Tim. It's nothing... personal.” Jason said. Tim struggles furiously to free his hands so he could use them to try and break free from Jason's leg lock, but Jason was a much bigger guy, and much stronger. Maybe if they had been fighting ninja to ninja he would have a much better chance, but out of his fit of rage he put himself in the position for a close up and muscle to muscle fight. This was a battle he knows he can't win.

After two minutes of struggling to break free, Tim's body went into panic. He feels like he's really going to die, so he desperately keeps fighting. He moves his legs out straight and tries to kick Jason in the face, but Jason pulls down tighter with his leg on Tim's throat in retaliation. 

“Stop struggling, Tim. There's no reason to prolong it. The sooner you stop resisting. The sooner you'll wake up.”

Tim was still trying to work his wrist free from the grip, but Jason's endurance was going on strong even with all of Tim’s flailing around. He finally gave up on the arm to arm wrestle. His face starts to turn red with all his straining as he turns his concentrating on using his abdomen muscle to jolt back and fourth in the leg lock trying to break it, but Jason just tightens his hold on him.

Tim starts getting dark spots in his vision just before he passes out, but Jason suddenly lets go of him and pushes him off of himself. Tim grabs his throat and coughs. 

“Robin! Get out of here!” Jason said, as he got up quickly. Then Tim saw why he was rushing to get to his feet. A group of men, fully clothed in gray and black armored clothing and masks were climbing over onto the roof. Armed with swords and machine guns.

“I hope we aren't interrupting your... date?” a man with a white mask stepped forward, “...Red Hood. It is an honor to finally meet you.” 

“I'm flattered. Who the hell are you?” Jason said, trying to stall them until Tim was out of danger.

The man chuckles. “It doesn't matter who I am. Only matters that I am going to collect my reward... by cutting off your head.”

Tim stood to his feet and rubbing his throat. “I don't think so.”

“I told you to get out of here!”

“I'm sure the bird will be a bonus... The Black Mask sends his regards, Red Hood.” the masked man points his gun at Jason.

“Wow, him again? He must have a lot of lives to throw away, but since I'm such a 'nice' guy. I’ll give you a chance to walk away, otherwise... I'm just gonna kill you all.”

“Ha!” They mocked and then starts shooting, but Jason was already leaping toward them in a deadly assault. Tim jumps for cover waiting for the gunned men to change their clips before he attacks. Jason on the other hand, has a non-cautious fighting style. He trusts his armor, but he also doesn't mind pain and he has no fear of death.

He pulls out his hand gun, and starts fighting. These boys weren't thugs. They were skilled. They were all real killers. Jason fought with a mix of a gun in one hand and a knife in the other as he leaps around toying with them. They aimed for him, but he uses their own soldiers as human shields from the bullets meant for him.

Tim joins in on the fight. He uses none-lethal force as he prioritizes to take out as many guys as possible before Jason gets to them and kills them. 

Then Jason notices not all the attention was on him. He looks over and sees Tim in the fight. “Robin!!” He scolded, then was distracted by another man trying to stab him. Jason shot him just as two guys ran side by side and tackle him to the ground. He rustles with the ninjas for a good minute or so. He finally gets on top of one of the guys and trying to break his neck, just as a third guy grabs him from behind, trying to break Jason's neck. He pulls his gun out and shoots the guy he was on top of and then broke free from the head lock and turns around to shoot the other guy, but his gun is suddenly flying out of his hand as a loud gun shot rings out at the same moment. He looks over at who did it. The man stands there and slowly lowers his gun. Jason ran toward the guy and punches him, blinding him for a second with pain as he pulls him closer and then broke his neck before he even saw it coming. Now Jason goes on a killing spree, losing his mood to toy with them and just went straight to the point. 

“Forget the bird! Kill the Red Hood! NOW!!” The leader yelled out in anger at seeing how many of his men now lay dead.

A loud gun shot rang out and Jason felt a sharp force throw him forward, and then it donned on him that he just got shot in the back with his own gun. He recognizes the sound and the power of his gun. He got back on his feet and turns around, “Who the hell has their filthy hands on my gun?!”

Then he sees him, the man in a mask with the gun pointed now at Tim. Jason runs toward him and tackles him to the ground. They rustle for a good minute, while Tim continues taking out the rest of the guys. The masked man pulls out a zapper and shocks Jason. 

“Was that supposed to hurt?” Jason hissed. 

“No, but maybe this will!” He threw something on him and then it exploded sending Jason flying backwards ten feet. He looks down at his smoking jacket and then back up to see where the masked man was. He stood a few meters away and aimed Jason's own gun at his head.

“I don't think your helmet will hold up to the power of this weapon... Not at this range.” he said, as Jason slowly stands to his feet.

“Then what are you waiting for?”

The man chuckled and aims. Tim sees what is happening runs towards the man and grabs the gun. They both start fighting over it. Jason runs toward them to help take out the guy, but the masked man tries to aim the gun at Jason before he arrives and then shoots, missing Jason. Tim rips the gun out of the mans hand and then steps backwards a few feet. Jason knocks the man down and was punches him over and over. It soon turns into a violent struggle of trying to break each others necks, but then he hears a moan and looks over at Tim to see that he had a hand to his chest and blood was spilling out, but he was still on his feet. Jason looks back at the guy in a fit of rage and starts strangling him.

“Jason~...” Tim said, while still holding the gun tightly with his shaking hand and his other hand still to his chest. He fell to his knees. “Jas-- uhh...” he starts to go unconscious just as ninja runs over to him and pushes him over the side of the building.

Jason was still strangling the other man and froze when he heard the thump and turns around. “TIM?!!!” He runs to the edge of the building, coming up behind the ninja who had pushed Tim, and smashes his head against the wall. Then he stares over the edge at Tim's still body and then slowly looks back as the man with the white mask starts to run away. 

He had to make a decision, to stop the guy with the mask and make sure Tim gets justice, or go down and get Tim immediately and let the guy escape and most likely get away with shooting Tim. He knew he probably won't be able to save Tim's life, but he definitely can avenge him. He looks back down at Tim again. “I'm sorry, Tim.”

He races down the block after the man and follows him to an alleyway. As soon as he goes around the corner he stops. It was a deadend and the man was nowhere to be found. He looks around, but there were no doors, sewer holes, garbagecans, or any other form of hiding places. He punches the wall hard in his fit of frustration and then ran out from the alleyway and back to where Tim was a few blocks away.

He arrives at the scene and runs toward Tim. There was a bunch of thugs standing by Tim's body checking him out. “Get away from him!” Jason yelled and then kicks a guy in the head and pushes another into the wall with enough force to cause the guy a cracked rib or more. Then he grabs another man and slams his head into the wall, and decides to do it a few more times for good measure. Another thug swung a wrench at him, but he ducked and then grabbed the thugs arm that had the wrench and jammed his two fingers, like a quick punch motion, into the mans eye. He grabs the wrench and hit him over the head.

Once they were all defeated, Jason drops down to Tim's side and feels for a pulse. “Tim!... Timmy!... ah god.” He took off his helmet and grabs Tim's comm link and put it in his own ear. “Bruce! Tim's been hurt! I'm taking him back to the cave.”

“What happened?” Bruce said over the comm. Jason didn't answer and drops the comm. His heart was pounding in his chest as guilt started to fog his mind. He looks over his shoulder trying to make sure the camera to his left doesn't see him sneakily put his gun that laid next to Tim into his jacket. Then he grabs his helmet and puts it back on and then reaches down to Tim and sweeps him up in his arms and carries him back to his bike. He places Tim side saddling on his bike and drives as fast as he can to the bat cave.

He nears the entrance and pushes the opening key on Tim's belt to access the door. He was speeding down the tunnel and sees Stephanie standing on the edge of the trackway. She looks over her shoulder and hollers, “Alfred! It's an intrusion!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be posting another chapter very soon. Probably called 'cold cold skin'. It will catch back up to the present and from Stephanie's pov.


	12. Honeymoon and the cold skin.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter picks up right after chapter 10 where Steph and Jason ran off together at the last scene.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is really just a foundation chapter for the next ones to come.

I went with Jason to his safe house. It was small and clean. He moved his stuff around and had cleared out a dresser for my things. The house was full of swords, guns, and other ancient weaponry that was carefully displayed in cases around the house and on the walls. It wasn't very homey, but it was very organized. 

By night fall, Bruce had tried calling me. I didn't want to tell him where I was. I knew he'd track Jason down and then drag me back home kicking and screaming. I did answer though when Alfred called. He was concerned about my decision and he asked me to come back home, but I politely declined. He said, he was going to keep the truth from Bruce until I was ready to break it to him myself. I agreed, I would do it when Bruce got back home next week.

Jason and I had a good dinner and I was glad I brought my candles, it made things more warm and homey. It won't be long before I turn this place into a cozy haven. Hopefully Jason won't be upset. I'm not worried though, I know eventually my warmth will melt his cold heart. Apart from when Jason is teasing me, he's sorta quiet. He doesn't talk very much. He just listens to me go on about stuff he probably has no interest in, but he's to polite to say so.

That night, I woke up and rolled over to see Jason still sleeping. I couldn't believe this was real as I brushed my hand against his cheek and then scooted in next to him and buried my face in his neck. It woke him up. He put his arm around me and pulled me in even closer then drifted back to sleep. 

I had just fallen back to sleep too, but was startled awake for some reason. It was still dark, and Jason was gone. His blankets on his side of the bed were parted. I sat up and looked around. “Jason?” I said. I don't know what woke me up, but I got up and searched the house for him. I was in the family room when I saw his leather coat and gun holster that had hung across the back of one of the chairs was gone. I went back to bed and laid there for a long time, just hoping to catch him coming home. 

The next thing I know, I hear the shower running and I open my eyes to a sunshine filled room. I went toward the bathroom and opened the door to a steaming hot room. I was expecting to see his silhouette through the shower curtain, but there was nothing. I rushed over and opened the curtain quickly. Then Jason looked up at me. He was cradled under the steaming hot water, sitting on his knees with his arms wrapped around himself and he gritted his teeth.

“Jason?” I reached forward and the nearly scolding hot water burned my hand. “Ah! What the--” I flicked the water off my hand. Jason was watching me as water rolled over his head and down his body. Now that I know how hot the water was that showered down on him, it stirred a panic in me. I reached down and turned it off quickly, then stood back as he shaked.

“What the hells going on?... And where did you go last night?” I said, as I stood up more sternly and folded my arms. He stood up and towered over me by several inches, then reached past me and grabbed his towel and wrapped it around his waist. 

“Nothing is going on.” 

I followed him out of the bathroom. “We're living with each other now, Jason. You should show the decency to at least tell me when you run off during the night.”

“I wasn't planning on leaving last night. And I didn't want to wake you.”

“The deal was that we are supposed to be partners in crime... I mean in fighting crime.” We went into the kitchen as he left a trail of wet foot prints behind.

“Yeah. Part time only... If you want to be my 'mostly' full time partner, the deal was you would have to have more training. Remember?” he said, and then grabbed a bottle of water out of the kitchen cabinet.

“Okay. But 'where' did you go last night?”

“I had crime boss stuff to deal with. Nothing a hero would like to be a part of.” 

“Do you realize how irritating you are with your vague responses? It's so ironic you and Bruce don't get along better. You have so much in common... So what? Did you have a run in with Mr. Freeze, and needed a scolding hot shower to defrost?” 

He stared at me for a few seconds and then took another sip of his bottled water. I glared and leaned in and started smelling him. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Trying to see if I can smell another woman on you.” I sniffed his chest.

“I just got out of the shower...?”

“I know. I was hoping the smell would still be lingering. One day, huh? Only took one day for you to start cheating on me.” I said. I didn't really think he was cheating on me, but I was hoping to make him feel so bad that he would end up telling me everything in detail. By the look on his face, I don't think my method is working. He was grinning and then rolled his eyes and walked past me.

“Why are you such an ass, Jason?” I said, while he reached into his coat pocket that was hanging on the back of the couch and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, then put one between his lips and lit it. I walked over to him and leaned up against the couch as he took a long drag. I grabbed the cigarette from his lips, dropped it and smashed it on the hard floors. He stared at me a second then grabbed another cigarette, lit it and took another long inhale of smoke. I grabbed that one from his lips too, dropped it and smashed it. He just gave me a look, but didn't fight me on it.

“I have a headache, Steph.” he said and then grabbed another cigarette and his lighter and walked out onto the balcony in broad day light, with only his white towel hugging his hips. He shut the door behind him and looked out at the view of Gotham. I watched him a moment and grinned at the sight of him being soaking wet and curled forward slightly as he tried lighting his cigarette with difficulty. 

I walked out onto the patio and handed him a new one. “Thanks...” he said, tossing the wet one to the side and then flicked the lighter and lit the new one. He blew the smoke out through his nostrils then looked at me, as I leaned up against the railing. 

“Sorry.” I said, “... that's a bad habit though. You really should quit.”

“It's a slow process.” he took another drag, “... I started getting headaches when I was eight years old. Right after my dad got arrested. The second hand smoke was cut in half at my house, and I felt the difference. So I started smoking. It cured my headaches. Then when Batman took me in, he helped wean me off of it. But when I came back to life--... I guess dying doesn't break addictions you've had since before you were born.” He exhaled the smoke and then a sad look came over his face. He looked like he was wanting to tell me something. “Steph?” 

“Yeah?...”

He was silent, before biting his lip then his mood suddenly changes into a lighter one. “We should start your training now.” He took another drag of his cigarette. 

“Now?... Are you sure?” I looked at the exhausted look on his face, “You look really tired.”

“I'm sure.”

“Okay then. Is that all you wanted to say? or... was there something else?”

“No, that's all. Let's get dressed.”

 

I threw my workout clothes on and met him down in the basement beneath his safe house. He had a whole work out facility there.

“All right. I'll teach you everything I know.” He said, as I went down the stairs to where he was standing.

I did some stretches. “Lets do this.”

He grabbed a dry erase marker and started writing on the board. “This is the plan. Twenty percent of your training will be learning how to use a whole new variety of weapons properly. Non-lethal... and lethal. Part of that twenty percent will be learning how to make weapons out of common household items. Lets say you're in a warehouse and you run out of baterangs. No need to worry, 'cause I'm gonna teach you how to make a bomb out of practically anything.”

“Jason!”

“I'm kidding... well sorta. Anyways.” He turned back around and started writing down more stuff. “Seventy percent will be non-lethal hand to hand combat and agility training. You need to work on your technique.”

“Okay. What about the other ten percent?”

“Well, uhh... the other nine point five percent will be deadly hand to hand combat.” I was about to protest. “But before you freakout, let me make myself clear. I respect that you don't want to kill anyone, Stephanie. I'm only teaching you the moves as a last resort. Say someone is about to kill you, and you've tried everything--”

“Forget it, Jason. I'm not killing people. Ever.”

“That's just it. It wouldn't be killing. I use it to kill. You would be using it to survive. It's self defense incase you are left with the choice 'them' or 'you'. If you want me to train you, then you're going to learn everything I offer to teach you. Can you do that?”

I'm reluctant to agree, but I figure learning it doesn't mean I have to live it. “... I guess. But what about the point five percent?”

“Point five percent will be dedicated to you learning how 'not' to humiliate me when I take you out crime fighting.”

“Excuse me?!”

“From now on you are not allowed to say 'spoiling asses' or 'spoiling plans', or anything else pertaining to the word 'spoiler'... Or anything as remotely cheesy. Got it?”

“But... that's my name.”

“Yes, and you're using your name wrong if you're able to insert it into every crime fighting wisecrack you make.” He pulled down a big piece of paper that had huge words written on it. He pointed with the marker to each word as he said it. “So the golden rule is-- 'Thou shall not use cheesy catch phrases or the 'S' word during crime fighting ever again.'” He was trying not to smile.

“What! That is ridiculous!”

“It's part of the training... You still want to do this?”

“Yes... but it's a little--”

“Oh!” He interrupted me and grabbed a big jar. “And every time you break the golden rule you have to pay ten dollars to the cheese jar.”

“Oh come on! That's--”

“The way it's gonna be... It's a packaged deal. Sorry.” He turned around and started writing on the board and giggled. “I'm gonna be rich.” He hummed and then turned back to me. “Now let's get to work!”

A few days went by of vigorous training. I was getting stronger and faster. After hours of training, Jason would leave me to recover from the strict routine, while he went to do vigilante stuff. He invited me to go with him, but as much as I love spoiling, I just didn't have the energy. I don't know where he gets his though, since I discovered he hardly sleeps at all and is working out just as much as me in the training.

My diet was different too, but I was so fatigue that most of the time I didn't even have an appetite. I had lost several pounds, but Jason said it was normal, I just needed time to adjust and I would gain the weight back, and my appetite.

My favorite part of the training was actually learning about all the weapons. Especially building new ones, which I fondly would call 'time to mix and match'. I made the mistake of using that too much and Jason made me pay ten bucks to the cheese jar. He says he's not only trying to make me into a better fighter, but also a 'cooler' person... He's such an ass. 

“Stephanie...” We were about to eat our breakfast. He leaned over my plate and grabbed the salt. “Imagine this bottle of salt as you... Full of flavor. Full of life... Here's the thing. This salt is your words. You put a little on. It brings out the best flavor in anything... Even coffee.” He sprinkled some on my food. “Now taste it.” He scooped some of it up and put it in my mouth. “Good, huh?”

“Not bad. Who's the chef?” I said, grinning.

He grabbed the salt again. “Now, this is you when we go crime fighting.” He shook the salt over my food a few too many times. “Now taste it.” He shoved more in my mouth then I spit it out. “My point, Stephanie, is that portion is the answer. Less is more in your case.” He said, with a grin on his face.

“You know what, Jason? You're the king of all asses. Sometimes I'm not even sure why I like you.” 

“I'm not sure either... But I'm guessing it's probably the hot sex.”

I raised an eye brow and grinned. “You do know me.”

“Well. You don't exactly keep your desires a secret.”

 

Later, I was fighting him on a mat and I was doing really good. Jason coached me as we fought. Then I got a little cocky and did a swing kick to the head. He blocked it and grabbed my leg as I struggled to keep my balance. He held it for a few seconds to show me how he could easily toss me across the room if it had been a real fight. Then he dropped my leg down. “Again.” he said.

I tried again, but was starting to get frustrated.

“Don't hold back!” he said, “We aren't going to stop until you can land a punch.” He deflected my every attack. “Remember. You're fighting a stronger opponent. Swing kicks aren't going to cut it. You can't try to out strength me.” 

I tried to punch him as hard as I could, but he grabbed my fist and held it tightly. I tried to punch with my other hand, but he grabbed that one too. I used all my strength trying to get my fist free from his grip, but he restrained my every effort with ease, and was directing me down to the ground. “You have to use unpredictability. The entire weight of your body to throw me off balance. Find a way to use my own strength against me.” 

I resisted more and then quickly leaned into his pull and swung my entire body weight down between his legs, causing him to let go of me before he flipped over. He turned around and grinned at me. “Good. You're starting to get it. Just don't use that same move anytime soon. I'll be looking for it... Now lets work on your distractions.”

I got to my feet. “Rrraagh!” I yelled, and started doing swing kicks at him as fast and as hard as I could manage as a distraction. 

He was deflecting my attack easily and then chuckled. “Just don't pull a hamstring, Steph.” 

Now I'm really determined to wipe that smug look off his face. I let loose like a beast desperately trying to floor him.

He blocked my every attack. “Wow! You are getting so cocky. You really got to take it down a notch.” He provoked with a sly grin then stopped playing defense. I dodged a kick from him, a punch, another few moves and then another kick. I was bent backwards and then came back up ready for my turn, but his fist met me in the face. Hard. 

He gasped as I fell to the ground. “Steph! I'm so sorry!” I put my hand to my cheek bone where I could already feel it starting to swell. “Let me see.” He turned my face toward him. “oh man-- uhh... It's not that bad. Not—Not bad at all.” 

“Yeah, right. I can already see it swelling in my peripheral vision, Jason.” 

“Yeah... It's probably gonna be really bad.” He helped me to my feet. “I guess it's only fair if you punch me.”

“What? No.”

“Yes. I'll feel much better if you make us even.” 

I shook my head and started to grin. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Give me your best shot.”

“Okay... but it's still not very fair. Unless--” I walked over to one of the weapons cabinet and pulled out some brass knuckles. I looked back at him, and then tossing them hand to hand as I neared him with a smirk on my face. “Are you suurre?”

“Yeah. Just hurry up before I change my mind.” He planted his feet and then braced for the punch as I put the brass knuckles on. “Just... try not to break my nose, okay?” 

I grinned big. “You're going to be so sorry.” I said, while I winded-up my hand like I was playing baseball. He frowned, but didn't correct my technique. He closed his eyes with anticipation of the pain. I waited a moment watching him bracing for the punch and then when it didn't come, he peeked an eye open. I jumped on him and kissed him. “Change of plans. We need to take this upstairs.” I said, while rustling him for another kiss.

“Steph, why are you always trying to get in my pants?” He said, as he resisted me.

“Hey. A lot of guys would love for me to be trying to rip their clothes off.”

“Why don't you date one of those guys then?” he said, and then brushed my messy ponytail out of my face and started to smile at me.

“I think you already know why...” 

He smirked. “Are you really up for something more fun?” 

“Bring it, baby!”  
He swept me up in his arms and raced up the stairs to the bedroom. 

 

That night. I rolled to my other side and put my hand out to touch Jason, but I felt only the bed. I opened my eyes to confirm if he was gone. I got up and went into the family room where I saw all his gear. His boots had been freshly muddied and I could smell a fresh scent of gun powder on his jacket. I looked around the house and couldn't find him so I headed down to the basement.

I opened the door and saw him working out. His skin glistened with sweat as he did hanging sit ups.  
He didn't notice me watching from the stairs. He jumped down and then went straight into doing pushups.

I walked toward him and then he glanced at me. He stood to his feet to face me. “Working out at three a.m? You worked out all day with me... How do you have the energy?” 

“It's all in the willpower, Steph.” he said, with an exhausted looking grin on his face. 

I tried not to laugh. “Right, but there's a fine line between pushing yourself and simply being insane.” He went back to exercising. “...You want to come back to bed? It'd be nice to have you there next to me... I can keep you warm.” I said, knowing it was a tempting offer, since he's always cold and trying to cuddle up to me.

“That actually sounds really nice.” 

I climbed in bed in the dark room as the shower was running, and the lights in the bathroom shined through the cracks of the door. After his shower, he came into the room wearing his sweat pants and a towel around his neck, he took one end of it to roughly dry his hair. Then he grabbed a sweater and slipped it on. 

He laid down on his side facing me and scooted in. I put my hand through his still warm and damp hair. He leaned in and kissed the bruise on my cheek, then let the kisses go down my neck and rested his heavy head on my chest, listening to my heart beat. I rubbed the back of his neck slowly, knowing it would relax him. I discovered it's his soft spot and it makes him melt like butter every time. I felt his breathing change as he started to fall asleep with his ear to my heart. 

The sun broke through the window as I opened my eyes. I sat up in bed seeing Jason was gone. Again. This time there was a bouquet of a few dozen lavender roses by my bed. I picked them up and inhaled the blissful scent and let it daze me for a moment. Then I jumped out of bed and went into the family room. Jason was in the kitchen cooking. As soon as he saw me, he had a 'yikes' looking face expression. 

“Get back in bed!” He said, as he started to put some food on a tray and then picked up the tray.

I grinned and ran back to the bed and leaped into it and then sat up and waited for him to bring me the delicious smelling breakfast. With a grin on his face he sat the tray down on my lap. It had three different beverages and a wide selection of breakfast foods, berries, and pancakes as the main course.

“Blueberry pancakes. Your favorite.” He said, and then waited for me to spoil myself in his labor. 

I couldn't stop grinning as I stuffed my face, while trying not to gross him out. “You gonna join me?” I pushed a bite of pancakes to his mouth. He took a bite. Then I sipped my coffee. “Thank you, Jason... This is all so sweet. I take it you took a trip to the store this morning?” I said and then looked to the roses.

“Yeah.” He said, grinning and like he wasn't even listening. 

I stared back at him with a grin on my face. He's usually kinda melancholy, so it's nice to see him so... happy. “I'm guessing you only got roughly two hours of sleep, didn't you?” I said, then realizing I sound like a concerned mother.

“Yeah.” he said, again in the same manner as before, then realized what I said and snapped out of it, “Which is plenty.” He leaned in to kiss me. 

I kissed him back and then wrapped my arms around his neck as our kiss grew more passionate by the second. I pushed the tray away and pulled him in close. Then I felt my breakfast coming back up. I roughly pushed him away and leaned over the edge of bed and threw up.


	13. The Three of Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightwing's back in town!... oh boy.

“Stephanie. I'm getting really worried about you.” Jason said, while holding back my hair.

“I'm fine.” As soon as the words left my lips I hurled more into the toilet.

“No, you're not. I thought your body just needed time to adjust to the diet and workout routine, but this... I don't know. Maybe you should see a doctor.”

“I said I'm fine!” I snapped.

“Okay, okay.” He surrendered and then looked at his phone that had buzzed for the twelfth time in the last hour. “I gotta take this.” He walked into the bedroom before he answered the phone.

“What did I tell you?” he said, angrily over the phone, “... I really don't care what Brandon told you. I told you never to contact me.......We've been through this already. Tell them that I'm done with their bullshit... What do you mean you can't?... What?!... Ohmigod, are you crying?... Get a grip, man!... David?... David!... Stop crying!... No, I'm not yelling at you!... No! I'm not!...” he hushed is voice drastically. “I am not yelling... No, I'm not mad at you specifically.” he sighed loudly and put a hand to his forehead. “I was joking!... No, I'm not really going to kill you and everyone you ever loved. I was being dramatic... Because! It usually gets me what I want. 'You' being the only exception......... Okay, you know what? If you keep crying like this then I 'will' kill you... Then get a grip. I don't have time for this shit........... Make them cooperate, because if you don't, then I'm not joking about killing those dimwits you like to call your 'friends'...” he looked back at me for a second, “No, it's not mass murder, David. It's war. And they're all replaceable. 'You' are replaceable. So just fix it. Oh, and tell Brandon, either way, he's a dead man.” he said, in a gruff and hushed voice then ended the call and walked back toward me.

“Hey, I have to go deal with something. I'll be back late tonight. Are you gonna be okay?”

“Yeah. I'll be great.” I said, with my face still hanging in the toilet bowl. 

He stood there a moment thinking about my sarcasm. “Stephanie... if I could stay I would, but I really have something I have to deal with.”

“I get it. Go.” 

“I hate to leave you like this, especially--”

“I'm fine.” I said. 

He stood there as if he wasn't sure if it was really safe to leave. “Okay then... I'll see you later.” He went to the fire escape, down the ladder and off to get himself into some form of trouble. 

I had a thought in the back of my mind that had been gnawing at me for a few days now, but I didn't want to think it was possible. It couldn't be possible, despite me having symptoms. I did some research anyways to put my fears to rest, but the contrary happened and my heart started pounding in my chest and my anxiety was gut wrenching. 

Once I was able to collect my emotions, I made a trip to the grocery store and then to the medicine section and saw a pregnancy test stick. I hesitated a second before grabbing five or six boxes and with embarrassment went to the checkout. 

After I got back home I took the tests, three of them, and now I just have to wait and see. The only thing I could think about are the butterflies turning in my stomach and wondering why I'm even doing this since there is no way it's positive. I've been on birth control since like a day or two after the fling. Then finally it was time and I had mostly convinced myself that it can't be positive. I went and grabbed the stick and took a deep breath before I looked at it. “What?...” I quickly looked over all three sticks and then re-read the back of the box again and sunk down on the bed in shock. “Aw, damn.” 

I laid in bed all day after that. Crippled with anxiety fear and even depression. I was so terrified of what this all meant. Terrified of how Jason might respond, because honestly, I have no idea how he will respond to the news. Any good or bad reaction seemed possible, but apart from Jason's response, I don't even know how I feel about this. 

I stared at the clock counting the seconds and waiting anxiously for time to pass until Jason comes home. After a few hours, my phone started buzzing. It was Dick. I didn't want to answer, but I thought it might be important. He said he needed help with a case and asked if I was up to it. I said 'no', and came up with a cheap excuse and said goodbye. I laid back down as my nerves resumed its previous state of terror. Once my fears and doubts become too much for me to handle, I sat up in bed quickly grabbed my phone and called Dick back. I needed a distraction just for awhile.

Down by the ship yards.

Dick dropped down from a shipping container and walked toward me with a smirk on his face. “Long time, no see.” 

“It's good to see you, flyboy.” I playfully punched his shoulder. 

“Ready to kick some butt tonight?”

“When am I not?” 

We went to the hiding spot to observe the criminals down below. I gazed through the binoculars at the thugs. Dick pulled out a granola bar and started chewing his food, sorta loudly. “Heard you moved out of the manor,” he said.

“Yeah... I just needed some space.”

“Yeah. I get it... Bruce is one hard guy to live with. Why else do you think I adopted my own city?”

I looked at him. “Hey, you wanna catch up sometime over coffee or something? Maybe gossip about the old crab.” 

“I'd never miss out on my favorite topic.” he grinned, “... So, have you been visiting the manor to see Tim since flying high?”

“No. I want to, but with moving and getting into the rhythm of a new environment, it's been hard to find the time.”

“Well, don't sweat it. It's not like Tim will know the difference.”

I stared at Dick's profile as I got lost in reminiscence back to that moment when it all started for Jason and I. Back at the manor, by Tim's bedside. I started to see it in my mind. The replay of Jason talking and reading to Tim when he thought no one was around. He had hoped it would make a difference to Tim. That he would just know he wasn't left alone. “Yeah, maybe...” I said, and then looked through the binoculars again, “But maybe not.” 

“Hey!” he pointed to the docks and threw his food off to the side. I looked where he was pointing, but I didn't see anything. “That's our cue. Keep up!” he said and got to his feet and ran toward the sighting. I followed after him.

We came around the corner to where Dick saw our 'cue', then we stopped and looked around. 

“What are we even chasing?” I said.

“I thought it was-- wait.” he grabbed my arm to still me and then pointed up above us. I heard movement before I could even focus my eyes in the dark. Then a man yelled out and fell down from the building and landed ten feet in front of us. 

Dick reached down to the man to feel for a pulse. I looked up and then saw a silhouette of a person peering over the edge of the building at us. Several moments go by and the was no movement. I started to wonder if it was even a man or just an illusion formed by shadows in the dark, but suddenly it moved a little. I nudged Dick and pointed up to it. “Don't worry, Nightwing. I got this guy.” I whispered.

I pulled out my grapple gun and then saw the dark figure move away quickly from the edge of the building. I shot my grapple and accelerated myself over the edge of the building.“Stop right there!!” I yelled to the dark figure running in the shadow. It stopped and slowly turned around to face me. I pulled out Tim's bo-staff and took a battle ready stance. “There's no reason for me to whip your ass unless you refuse to cooperate.” I inched closer to him. “Who are you and why did you push that man off this building?”

“He was getting on my nerves.” 

I instantly recognized his voice. “Jason?”  
He stepped into the light wearing all his gear and his hood pulled over his head, but the absence of his mask. “Yeah...Why are you and Dick here?” 

“Dick invited me... why--” I was interrupted by an escrima stick soaring through the air towards Jason's face. Just as soon as he blocked it, Nightwing leaped toward him in attack mode.

“I got this punk!” Dick said as he tackled Jason to the ground. They rustled around for about a minute. Dick wrapped his flexible body around Jason trying to restrain him with his arms, legs and torso. Jason's size and strength out did Dick, but Dick's python like flexibility along with his strength proved challenging. It was slightly awkward to watch Dick wrapped around Jason's body the way it was. It gave me the strong urge to cover my eyes. Jason finally got Dick's head in a leg-lock and Dick's butt was practically sitting on Jason's face trying to restrain him by any means.

“Get off me, Dick!” Jason huffed.

“Jason?” Dick said as they rolled around on the rooftop. 

“You're just now figuring that out? Get your ass out of my face!” Jason gave him one big push to break the hold Dick had on him and put some distance between them. They both rolled and got to their feet. Their faces were flushed red either from the struggle, or embarrassment, or both.

Jason scowled at Dick as he brushed the gravel off his clothes. Dick roughly brushed his fingers through his hair to get some dirt out. “Why didn't you just say something sooner?”

“Why didn't you just look before you leaped.” Jason hissed.

I grinned. “Wow. It's a shame I didn't have a camera with me. I could have used that footage as blackmail someday.” They both had a tense expression. 

Dick looked at Jason. “You 'almost' killed that guy, Jason!”

“Yeah, no need to point out my failure.” 

“I should have guessed you had your hands in the middle of this case. What are you up to, huh?” Dick said, and then pulled out his second escrima stick and shoved it against Jason's throat. 

Jason glared and slapped the stick away. “Oh, please. Spare me your condemnation, 'Dick'. It's exhausting.”

Dick sharpened his glare on Jason, and then Jason glared back matching the ferocity. I felt like any second another fight was going to break out. So, I stepped in between them and pushed them a few inches further from one another. “What is this? A glaring contest? Let's take it down a few notches, okay?”

“If you try something like that again Jason, I don't care what Bruce says. I'll throw you in jail myself.”

“You weren't even capable of doing that 'with' Bruce's help.” 

“That's because when it comes to you, Bruce lets his emotions cloud his judgment. Me on the other hand, I can't wait to do what's been a long time coming.”

“Yeah, of course, and always behind Bruce's back too, cuz you don't want 'daddy dearest' to know that you're really not the 'brown-nose' you pretend to be.”

“Um, what part of 'take it down a few notches' stumped you guys?” At that very moment, Dick loses his temper and tries to punch Jason, but he dodged the assault and did a one-eighty around Dick. Just when I was about to praise Jason for not aiding in the fight, he turns around and kicks Dick in the butt. If that wasn't already enough to have pissed anyone off, Jason didn't stop there, as soon as Dick turned back around with a pissed expression, Jason tackled him to the ground into another rustling match.

“Hey!... Guys!” I said, trying to interrupt them, but they were to set on beating the snot out of the other. The fight was a lot more aggressive this time around and it wasn't at all awkward or funny. “HEY!” I yelled again and tried to pull them apart. “Jason! Dick! STOP!” I lost my footing and landed on top of them. Yeah, these boys play way too rough for me. I was already getting beat up, and neither of them were aiming for me. “STOP!!” I yelled again.

“Let go of me, Jason!” Dick's words are slow from the straining to get free.

“You first!” Jason said and grits his teeth.

I could tell they both wanted to stop but refused to be the one to give. I was getting really annoyed now, as they lay on top of my legs in their relentless battle. I turned to face them. “Time to kiss and makeup!” I growled and grabbed both their heads and smashed them together as hard as I could. The shock of their mouths almost touching stopped their fight as they pulled away from the other and wiped their mouths and got to their feet. Jason spits to the side. Okay, so maybe their lips did touch. I sat there watching them. 

“Great, Stephanie. Now I probably have an STD.” Jason hissed.

Dick put his hands on his hips in a relaxed way despite a mean expression on his face. “You're just jealous that I actually 'have' a sex life.”

Jason crossed his arms. “No, Dick. Most people have a sex life. You, however, have more than one kind of sex life that is split into two categories. Kinky, and kinkier.” 

Apparently Jason knows how to push Dick's buttons because now Dick looked like he was about to murder Jason. And Jason just had a smug look that said, 'I dare you to'.

“For crying out loud!” I said, “Will you guys just stop? It's like being around two giant kids!” 

They both looked at me and then back at each other with glaring eyes. 

I sighed. “So, why are you here, Jason?”

Jason looked at me and then changed his disposition. “... To kill people.”

“Surprise. Surprise.” Dick said.

“Okay. But who and why?”

“A lot of people. And because they deserve it.”

“Steph.” Dick interrupted us, “This could go on for hours. This is Jason's form of manipulation. He gets backed into a corner and then he goes on and on in circles for hours and gives you next to nothing. And then once you get bored and give up, he manages to escape with a grin on his face and you leave with nothing more than a headache. So, just let me ask the questions, okay?” he looked back at Jason and walked closer to him, “All right, you blood-thirsty mother****ing killer!” 

My jaw dropped in awe at Dick using bad language. 

“You are going to cooperate, or I will be forced to blackmail you. And oh boy, do I have some dirt on you, Jason.”

“Gee whiz, Dick. You got me shaking in my boots.” Jason said, in a deadpan tone. 

“You know what, Jason--!” 

I interrupted Dick. “Hey! Can we just focus on the case? And let's act like mature adults who have self-control and tolerance for one another despite our differences?... Please.”

They look at each other as their rage started to melt. “Fine. What are you guys doing here?” 

“Bruce asked me to take care of some shady activity around here. I just didn't know he was referring to you.” they both exchanged another glare, “Anyways, I invited Stephanie to help me take care of it.”

“Well you should just go home, Dick. I'm taking care of it.”

“Yeah I don't think so, killer.” 

“Batman asked for my help.” Jason said, starting to sound defensive.

“Wait... He asked both of you guys, but he didn't ask me?” Jason and Dick exchanged glances. “Whatever I don't care anymore... Okay, so I guess we each have a different part to play.” I said as I tried to ignore the sting of salt that Bruce likes to pour into my wounds.

“Yeah. I'm heading down to the steel mill now.” Jason said and started heading toward the fire escape and Dick and I followed him, “I got some 'criminal plans that need spoiling'.” he looked back at me and grinned, trying to cheer me up by quoting my cheesy catchphrase that he's usually giving me a hard time about. I smirked at his effort.

“That was our plan too for later tonight. There's no need for all of us to go, though.” Dick said, as we hastily went down the ladders.

“Agreed.” We all walked down the alley toward Jason's motorcycle. 

“Me and Stephanie were watching the docks before we ran into you. There's some weapons deal that is supposed to take place there. Assuming our intel is correct.”

“Okay, you do that.” Jason swung his leg over his bike and sat down. “Hey, if you think you can handle the meeting by the docks alone, I could use some back up at the mill.” He looked at me. 

I grinned. “An invitation? Hmm... Here I thought Red Hood only worked alone.” I said and leaned on the handles of his motorcycle, flirtatiously. 

“Uhh, why don't you just go on alone, Jason. I'm sure you can handle it. Me and Stephanie already had a plan. We'll catch up with you... maybe.” Dick tugged on my arm and pulled me in the right direction.

Jason gave Dick a scornful glare. “I think she can speak for herself, Dick.”

They both looked at me. It felt like a silent tug-a-war and I was evidently the rope. I kinda wanted to go with Dick, but that's because I actually know all of Dick's plan for the night. Jason didn't bother to tell me what he was up to earlier today, but I can conjure up a guess that his version of the mission will involve a lot of blood shed. Which I'm not too cool with, but then I don't want to be disloyal to him either. 

“If you'd rather go with Dick, that's fine.” he started up his motorcycle. 

Dick looked at me. “You made the right decision, Steph.”

“What? I didn't even make a decision.” I grabbed Jason's arm to halt him, “No! I'll go with you.”  
Then Dick cleared his throat. Jason was staring at him, so I turned to see why, but Dick only had a neutral expression on his face. 

Jason pulled his arm away from me. “You probably should stay with Dick.”

I glared at them both. “It's okay. I'm ready for any adventure... Especially the wilder.” I grinned suggestively at Jason.

Jason gave me a subtle look like he didn't want me to draw attention to the secret of 'us' being a couple. I looked at Dick who now had a confused look on his face. I forced a smile. “Maybe, I will just stay with Dick.”

“Good idea.” They both said at the same time and with patronizing tones. I started to wonder what knowledge the two of them share that they aren't willing to share with me, just as Jason drove away.

I gave Dick a sharp look. “Is there something I should know?”

“Hmm?” Dick said turning back to face me. I knew I just needed to apply just the right amount of pressure and Dick would happily tell all. Unlike Bruce and Jason, and even Tim. Dick Grayson isn't always good at keeping secrets. Must be the extravert in him. Don't get me wrong. He still has secrets, but he's more of an open book than anything else. He gets himself in trouble almost as much as I do with all things concerning those cranky introverts.

“Dick? What's Jason really up to? Is there something you two know that I don't?”

“Uhh... Huh?”

“Stop playing dumb, Dick. What is it? Tell me.”

“Fine!” Wow, he broke faster than I thought he would. “Bruce just doesn't want you alone around Jason that's all.” That much I know already. 

“Okay... Sounds like Bruce, but! Since when does Jason cooperate with what Bruce wants?”

“I uh-- I don't know, Steph. Jason is not a predictable person. That's precisely the reason you or anyone else is not supposed to be around him... It's just Bruce's rules... they don't always seem to make sense, but it's for your own good... If you want to ask someone about analyzing the Dark knight you should just ask Jas--butler... uh-ja-- ja-butler. Jussst butler.”

“What?”

“Uhh-- Later. Right now we have a job to do. Follow my lead.” He said and turned and started running. I really don't like people bossing me around. Especially when they won't tell me everything, but I followed after him anyways.

It was an unfruitful night. We went back to the bat cave to run a search on somethings concerning the next stakeout. He assured me Bruce wasn't going to be there, so I went with him. When we got there, there was some guy in the cave just sitting there. Kevin was his name. He was dressed like a street thug. Alfred said he was a double agent who was helping with some case Bruce was working. 

It took us hours to get the information we needed. Dick told me to go ahead and go home and get some sleep and I was more than happy to.

Back at Jason's apartment. I walked in through the front door at four O'clock in the morning. Jason was laying on his back on the couch reading a book and then sat up to see who it was. I don't know why I am surprised to see him still up, he rarely sleeps. I let my backpack fall heavy to the ground. 

“You were gone a long time... with Dick.” he started to smirk, “Should I be jealous?”

“Well, unlike you, he is 'good' company. And he doesn't cost nearly as much in property damage when it comes to kicking ass.” I grinned and went to the couch and collapsed on top of him and laid my head on his chest as he moved the book out of the way for a moment and then kissed the top of my head. 

I want to tell him, but right now I'm just too tired. I closed my eyes. “It's nice to be home... It's nice to feel you...” I brushed my hand over his chest, “And the familiar smell of you gives me comfort.” I said. He was quiet, but I was too tired to open my eyes to see how he was responding to my delirious behavior. He brushed his fingers through my long hair for awhile. 

“I love you...” he said. 

I tried to say it back, but I was too tired to get the words out, and I didn't regret it until the next morning.


	14. My lover's cold skin. Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie and Jason both have some secrets that they are wanting to tell each other as they try to find the right moment, but things don't always happen like they hope.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was one chapter that I'm splitting into two parts (chapter 14 and 15) because it was a little long. I will be releasing them together though. I hope you enjoy!

It was early afternoon and Jason and I were still in our PJ's. He walks by me in his sweatpants and no shirt, carrying our hot mugs to the table as I pace back and forth in my nightshirt while on the phone with Dick. “What do you mean by that, Dick?... Okay, fair point. But I really don't think he would do that... Because!--wait, what?...” I look back at Jason, who has just taken a seat and sips his tea while he eavesdrops, curious as to who Dick and I are having a heated conversation about. “Fine... Just don't talk to Jason about it without me, okay?” Jason's eyebrows rise hearing his name brought into it. “Because, I can't trust you two alone together. You'll probably kill each other! Like literally... Just wait for me, Dick. Hello? Dick? Did he just--” I set my phone down, and took a seat by Jason and rubbed my temples to ease the pain of my headache. 

“You okay, Stephanie?” 

“Yeah, I just have a bad headache now.”

He scoots a hot mug of coffee towards me.“What did Dick want?”

I look at him as I sip my coffee. “He... wants to talk to you about the case we were working last night.”

“The one by the docks?”

“Yeah...” I sigh and look him in the eyes then slowly brush my hand over his and flip his palm up and rub my fingers along the curves of his hand, he welcomes the touch. Then I rub my fingers up to the crook of his arm and then back down and rest on top of his wrist. I tried to make it innocent and flirtatious to disguise from my true intention. He stares in my eyes seeming not to suspect a thing, and the more he looks like he's trusting me, the more I start feeling guilty. Really guilty.

Things have been really good lately between Jason and I. He's really been warming up to me and then just last night he said he loved me, and I felt bad that I didn't say it back. I woke him up this morning smothering his face with kisses, trying to set a good mood so I could tell him what I've been aching to tell him since yesterday, but instead I got carried away with the kissing and it turned into love-making. So now I'm still sitting here with a secret eating at me, just waiting for the moment that feels right. And to further delay the conversation even more, Dick wants to meet up in an hour and lure Jason out so we can ask him some important questions. Dick was being very impatient on the phone. He's usually not so angsty, but suspect that he isn't going to wait for me. So now I'm about to go behind his back before he goes behind mine... Oh, look how far I have fallen and the lines I'm willing to cross now... I blame it all on the soul tie with Jason. Guess you could say he rubbed off on me.

“Jason... You know how I said the crime lord meeting last night was a no-show?”

“Yeah?”

“Well... Dick says--... Well, he um... He seems to think that someone tipped them off.” 

He continues to stare at me unsuspectingly. “So?” he said. 

I hesitate and his relaxed face quickly turns into a frown. He looks down at my hand that was still resting on his wrist, realizing that it wasn't flirtation that kept my hand touching his, but it was me trying to detect a lie. He looks back up at me slowly but doesn't pull away. His pulse was study and calm. “What's my pulse? Am I getting nervous?” 

I'm flustered by his remark and pull away quickly. 

“You're getting good, Steph. I didn't suspect a thing. But you could have just been honest and asked for the truth.” he got up and went to his jacket hanging over a chair, looking for something and then when he couldn't find it, starts looking in the kitchen drawers.

“Dick says he's going to 'lure' you out too in—vestigate you... I'm asking you right now not to start a fight with him when he asks you things that I 'know' will offend you.”

“Hm. Where did I put it?” he asked himself.

“Will you sit back down, please? I'm not done talking.” I watch as he starts opening all the cabinets and drawers. “What are you looking for?”

“My cigarettes.” 

Great, just my luck. The last three days he hasn't once looked for them, but now he notices they're gone. 

“Have you seen them?” he said, not bothering to look at me. My hesitance to answer the question draws his attention. “Steph?” I roll my eyes knowing he's going to be pissed. He walks to the trash can and starts looking through it. He looks annoyed as he pulls out his pack of cigarettes that were still damp despite me drowning them a few days ago. “Really?” 

Dang, I knew I should have taken the trash out. “How's a girl supposed to get away with anything if you're always digging through the trash,” I said, trying desperately to lighten the mood. I just now realized that Jason does all the chores around the house and I do none, except I made the bed a few times and took the bathroom trash out once. He keeps the entire place clean and hasn't once asked for my help. 

“I don't know. Maybe take the trash out like you did the other day when you were hiding whatever it was you didn't want me to see.” he said, and then puts a crooked cigarette between his lips.

My heart starts racing, wondering if he knows what I'm hiding. I mean, even if he didn't see the test stick, he would have to be really naive not to have figured out why I'm barfing up my guts all the time, but then again, it took me a month of throwing up before I even thought to take the test. I try to change the subject so he doesn't start asking for an explanation. “Couldn't you just get a habit that doesn't involve slowly killing yourself annnd doesn't cost so much to support?”

“It doesn't cost me anything.” he said as he sticks another crooked and less damp cigarette between his lips and tries to light it... Talk about an addict. “The boys are always giving me stuff.”

“Guess being a crime boss comes with benefits.” I said.

“It's just a bunch of butt kissers that think if they kiss my ass enough I'll let them live once they outlive their use to me.”

I like to think he's just kidding. God, I really hope he's kidding. “Those thugs are sure good employees. Do you ever return the favor?” I smirked.

“Course not. Nothing makes me happier than to f**k over the f**kers. My plan is to milk them for all they're worth.” I raise an eyebrow and then glare at him with a smirk still on my face. “What? I just know how to play the game.”

“Sure. One man against the criminal empire. Hardly seems fair.”

“Oh it's not. That's why I threw my own set of rules into the mix.”

“Which is... ruthlessly killing?”

“Yes, that and... non-negotiations with psychos.”

“Well, when you put it like that, it sounds so much nicer. You're practically patriotic.” I grinned.

“Yeah, I know. It's still not fair, though. They have no idea what's coming for them. Those poor souls.” he said and then presses his lips down on the third cigarette and tries to light it.

“Spoken like a true criminal... Dang! I should have bought you that mug that said 'Worlds Best Boss'. I know how much you love irony.”

“Where's the irony in that? I'm still a great boss... You think I'm cold blooded, but I'm really not. You should try hanging out with those losers all the time and see if you still think they're worth saving.”

“... Everyone can be saved, Jason.” I said, in a serious tone.

“Yeah, except for 'me' and all the men that swear they'll never change... But anyways. There are two kinds of butt kissers in the world, Steph. The ones that hope you won't kill them if they kiss-up, and then ones who hope to kill you the second you let your guard down... Had a couple of guys just last month that bought me a drink and tried to act like they 'liked' me. Turns out they spiked my drink. Tried to get me filthy drunk... Or it was poison.” 

My mouth gapes open with concern.

“Once I was feeling slightly lightheaded and yammering on about shit, I realized I had been drugged. I guess they thought they'd actually stand a chance while I was disoriented. Unfortunately for them, I built up a high tolerance for most poisons and drugs. But since I have a deep yearning for melodrama from sheer force of boredom, I indulged them until they attacked me.” he said while still holding the cigarette with his lips. I shake my head in disbelief as he finally gets it to light and draws in the smoke. “I guess some people just don't pay attention to the news. I almost feel bad for them...” he starts chuckling. “Who am I kidding? I don't feel bad for them at all... Idiots... What?”

“You are such a scoundrel, you know that?” I shook my head, then I notice the serious look coming over his face. “What?”

He frowns. “Steph... There is something I've been wanting to tell you... Actually, there's a lot of things I been--”

Before I even realized what I was saying I was interrupting him. “There's something I need to tell you too.”

He studies my face for a moment. “Okay, what is it?”

“Uh... I, uh, I interrupted you... You first.”

He nods slowly thinking about what he was going to say. “Okay, um... I lied to you... a lot actually.” He sighs and walks up to me and sits down. “Okay, let me just get the latest thing off my chest first... I, um, I tipped the guys off down by the docks last night. Dick is right. It was me.”

My jaw drops in shock. “Jason?! Those were big fish in the weapons dealers gang! We could have stopped them! I was gone all night investigating 'why' they never showed up!” I was about to carry it on longer, but I close my eyes and try to temper the storm that's raging in my mind. 

“I know! I'm sorry! Those were my men. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. I have no idea how Dick found out about the meeting last night, but at least your headache wasn't for nothing. I now know I have a snitch in my group.” 

“Jason! That is not what the problem is!”

“I know! I know! I have a problem with my morals. I'm sorry. I'm really trying to work on it... But I couldn't resist. I mean, Dick is... he's just so 'easy' to take advantage of.” he said, savoring the remembrance of the painfully delicious mistakes Dick sometimes makes; such as telling his wayward brother his plan.

I had never thought about Dick like that before, but now that he says it, I can see that it's sorta true. I try to resist the smile that's spreading across my face, so I tuck my lips in. 

He sighs. “You asked me to be honest with you, but I continue to keep things from you, and that is wrong. I want to tell you things. I don't want you to feel like you can't trust me. So I'll try to be honest... I just don't know where to start.”

I'm terrified and excited at the same time, but I try to remain collective. “Okay... Maybe start with the biggest thing. That way the rest will be easier.” I said, then listening intently for his response. He has a sad frown on his face as he looks down at the ground and then back up at me. He grabs my hands and pulls me to the couch and then pushes me down into the seat and stands back as if he's trying to make it picture perfect. “Um... I don't know how to say this...” he said and then stares at me again and then sits down next to me.

I start to feel really nervous and wonder if I even want to know what it is he's about to tell me. Living in denial is starting to sound like a good idea.

He took a deep breath and then rubs his face. “Steph... I-I know who sh--” He's interrupted by my phone ringing. I look down at it and see Dick is calling. I quickly hang up. “Who is it?”

“uh, it's not important. Go on.” Jason was trying to get his nerve up again. “You know what?” He opens his mouth to speak when my phone rings again. I could see the look on his face as his confidence deflates. I look back down seeing Dick calling again. 

“Do you need to take it?” he said.

I turn off my phone. “No, it can wait. What were you saying?”

“It's about Tim--” He was interrupted by a knock on the door. 

We look at each other both feeling equally annoyed by the interruptions. I get off the couch and open the door. I grab the food from the delivery guy and hand him money. “Keep the change,” I said and shut the door and then set the pizza down. I look back at Jason. “Things come in threes, right?” 

There was another knock on the door. Jason rolls his eyes and looks away from me. 

“Just a second, all right?” I turn around to open the door. I feel the anger rising in me as I prepare to give the pizza guy a taste of my fist. I pull the door open to see Dick standing there with his hand in the air about to knock again. It took him a second to register seeing me, and during that moment of hesitation I slam the door in his face and lock it. He immediately starts knocking on it repetitively as I look back at Jason, with wide eyes. Jason looks really pissed now. He runs both his hands through his hair in frustration. 

“Stephanie!” Dick said through the door while wiggling the door nob. “I know you're in there. Open the door.”

“What do we do?” I whisper to Jason as he gets off the couch and walks towards the door. 

“I saw you! Now open the door!” Dick said sounding more irritable.

Jason opens the door abruptly and just stares at him with glaring eyes and then growls out his name. “Dick.” 

“What the hell's going on here, Jason?” he said while trying to push his way into the apartment, but Jason pushes him back with one hand. 

“Nothing. Why are you here?”

“I just had a couple questions about a case we were working.” he tries pushing his way through the door again, but Jason pushes him back harder.

“How did you even know where I lived, Dick? You and Bruce stalking me now?”

“Oh, don't act like that's some great offense when you have actually assaulted me and Bruce in the past. Think of it as us watching our backs.” Dick peeks over Jason's shoulder trying to see where I was hiding. “But the question of the year is, why is Stephanie here?”

I step where he can see me from the doorway, no longer seeing the point in prolonging the inevitable. “Me and Jason were working a case together too.” I said. 

“Really?... And does Bruce know about this?” He looks at Jason who was still facing him and not letting him inside.

“Bruce doesn't need to know everything I do, and neither do you.” Jason hissed.

“Why are you acting so defensive, Jay?... Can I come in please?” he said. Jason clinches his jaw shut tightly and doesn't respond. 

“Yeah. Come in, Dick.” I said, “We just ordered some pizza. You want some?” 

Jason looks over his shoulder at me, his expression drastically softening. He moves out of the way to let Dick in. Dick walks in and stands there in silence creating a triangle between me, Jason and himself. He looks down at my short nightshirt that I was wearing and then looks at Jason who's wearing only his sweatpants and no shirt. Dang, this really looks bad. 

The huge ridged scars on Jason's torso catch Dick's eyes for a moment. He looks almost shocked to see such massive scarring. I guess he hasn't seen them before. Jason notices his expression and quickly becomes self-conscious. He walks a few feet away from us and grabs a sweater and pulls it over his head.

“So... Are we still going to work on that case, Jay?” he asked, probably trying to draw the attention away from Jason's insecurity.

“Yeah. I guess so... I'll grab the file real quick.” He hesitantly leaves the room and walks into the bedroom. 

Dick looks at me with a very serious expression. “What are you doing here alone with Jason? In your pj's?” he whispers so Jason can't hear from the other room. “I hope your sudden disappearance around the manor has nothing to do with you being here...? Because you know, that would be really bad... Not to mention stupid.” he said starting to look really mad. I have never seen Dick Grayson look this upset before. This angry. I suddenly feel really ashamed of myself, and at the same time very defensive. 

“What am I doing alone with him? What are you doing here 'alone' going over a case with him? That rule applied to you too, Dick. You got a lot of nerve. After the way I saw you two treat each other last night, I'm willing to bet that Bruce made that rule with you 'largely' on his mind.” I hissed. 

“If you really think that, then you won't mind me calling Bruce right now and telling him that you are hanging out with Jason... In his apartment... Wearing nothing but a short shirt.”

“Go ahead, Dick. If I go down, you're going down with me.” I can't believe I just said that to Dick. This is the first fight Dick and I have ever had. What's wrong with us? I never thought in a million years that 'we' would fight. We used to be so like minded on just about everything. And now here we are fighting... about Jason, of all things. That's the one thing I thought we would never disagree on, but I guess it's still all the same. We are both sneaking behind Bruce’s back to be with Jason, our own reasons aside. Still begs the question though, is there anyone still following Bruce's rule?

Jason came back into the room and Dick and I fake a smile. I could tell by the look on Jason's face he wasn't buying it. We all sat down and I listened while Jason and Dick went over the file and discussed a case I know nothing about. They were surprisingly civil. Then Dick looks at me. “Hey, did you ever get a chance to find anything else on that investigation we are working? I tried calling you about it before I got here, but you didn't answer.” 

“Oh, yeah, most of it. I was going to call you about it tomorrow once I was done.”

“Well, I'm here now. Why don't you go ahead and get it and... we could go over it now.”

“Okay, if it's safe to leave you two alone together?” They both didn't look enthused by my comment. “I'm kidding... I'll be right back.” I went to get the folder and head back, but I stop before I get into their view. I hear them whispering. 

“I really hope this isn't what it looks like, Jason.”

“That depends on what you think it looks like. But honestly, it's not your business, 'dick'.”

“True, but Stephanie is my business and I'm not about to let her life be endangered.”

“'Endangered'? By what exactly?” Jason sounds angry now. 

“Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.” he hushes his voice. “I don't even know what to think about any of this.” 

“There's nothing to think about, cuz there's nothing going on.”

“Just... Stay away from her, Jason. If you don't--”

“What? Your gonna go tell your Dad? Go ahead. See if I care.”

“You should... Because he can show Stephanie proof of the 'real' you... I don't think you want that.”

“Proof? Proof of what? She already knows I kill losers.”

“You can go on acting like you don't know what I'm talking about all you want, but it's not going to delay me any. If you keep on with her, then Stephanie will know everything there is to know about you. And I mean everything. Down to naked baby pictures and to the glorious disaster you are today. I'll tell her about the great Dad you had. The things you did. Everything... all the way up to 'what' you are now. The things you 'do'. The strings you pull. All of it. I'll tell her everything that she 'deserves' to know... Thing's that you think me and Bruce don't know about.” 

“Don't act like you know me, Dick. We were never friends. You were never around when I was Robin.”

“And I'm sorry about that, Jason. I'm sorry that your entire life has been one misfortune after another... But Stephanie is like a little sister to me and I'll be damned before I see her get screwed over by you... You have a lot of baggage. You won't ever deserve her... So don't make me. Please... I still care about you too.” 

There was a long silence. I wait and when it doesn't sound like there was anything else to be said so I enter the room. They both have a very tense face expression as they watch me near them. Dick tries to force a smile on his face as I sit down. 

“I'm sorry, Steph. I just realized I don't have the time to go over the file with you.” He said, looking at his phone and rising to his feet. “I'll probably be seeing you very soon.” he looks at Jason, but Jason just stares at the coffee table in front of him. I get up and walk him to the door. “Can I give you a ride back to your apartment?” he said to me. 

“Oh, thanks for the offer, but me and Jason still have to go over a few things.” 

He looks back at Jason with a not very pleased expression. “Okay, well, I'll have Alfred come and pick you up when you're ready.”

“Dick, I can drive myself. I have a car now.”

“Oh, okay. Well, I'll see you around then.” he leans in and whispers, “Take care of yourself, Steph.” he kisses my cheek and then he glances at Jason and turns around to go out the door. 

I shut the door and lock it behind him. “I think we pulled that off,” I said trying to lighten the mood. Jason rose to his feet and quickly starts changing into his work clothes as I stand there trying to remain calm. “Are you going somewhere?” I said.

“Yeah, I have some things to do. I figure now's as good of a time as any.” He grabs his gun holsters and buckles it around his waist and then around each thigh. 

“...Maybe I can help out?”

“I would like to go alone, if that's okay?”

“Uh... Yeah, sure.” I said while watching him put his jacket on. He hasn't even looked at me once as he races to the fire escape and then suddenly stops and slowly turns back to me. He looks like he's about to say something important, but then he just slowly turns away from me and climbs down. Just when things were starting to get better for us now he's running away and feels even further than before. I grab a pillow off the couch and slam it into the wall as hard as I can, relieving the fit of rage that was building up in me.


	15. My lover's cold skin. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Jason and Stephanie make it, or break it?

Jason has not come home yet, and it's already getting dark outside, so I try calling him, but he doesn't answer. I wait up half the night for him, but he's still not home, so I fall asleep and the next morning when I see he's still gone and there is no message from him. I didn't know what to think. Only that whatever Dick has on him, has got him running scared. At least, that's what I'm left with to assume.

I'm so worried now, because this all feels way out of my control. So, I do the one thing I know is the best thing to do in times of trouble... I call Alfred. Plus, he's the only one who officially knows I'm living with Jason. 

I tell Alfred over the phone everything that went down yesterday.

“Don't worry, Miss Brown. Just leave Master Jason to me. I know exactly how to handle him. I only need to find him, which is the tricky part. But rest assured that I will find him and when I do, Master Jason will be at your ankles begging for your forgiveness, along with a gift and a heart felt and very detailed apology. You have my word.”

“I don't know how to ever repay you, Alfred.”

“Your happiness should suffice, Miss Brown. Meanwhile I think he's put you through enough worry. You should clear your head, do something you like. Perhaps visit a close friend of yours. Maybe-- what's the word your generation likes to use? 'vent' a little about your troubles, or simply just have a care free time. And leave the worrying to me. I will contact you the moment we find him.”

“Thanks, Alfred. I'll do that... Good-Bye.” I end the call. 

Socializing was really the last thing I want to do, but Alfred's advice is never bad. So, I call a friend from high school and we meet up to hang out. It was refreshing to do girly things and talk about the men in our lives, but I didn't tell her that mine was missing. I didn't want to burden her with my problems and ruin the lovely distraction.

 

It's late when I get back home. I walk into the dark house and lock the door behind me. “Jason?” I said, hoping to find him home. I set my purse on the couch then look into the bedroom. The lightning storm outside lights up the room for a moment and that's when I see a man sitting in a chair by the bed. “Jason?” I said again, but the dark figure doesn't anwser. I quickly reach down into the coffee table drawer and grab one of Jason's guns and pull it on the man. Between the flashes of lightning I can see him stand to his feet and surrender his hands in the air and step backwards against the night stand.

“Who the hell are you?!” I said, as I near him. I reach over and turn on the light in the bedroom, which only turns the nightstand light on. The man was dressed in dark and worn out clothing. Then I notice Jason laying on his back, in the bed unconscious, but no obvious wounds anywhere. My heart starts pounding in my chest at the sight of him laying there helpless. “What did you do to him?!”

“I didn't do anything... I was helping him.” The man said.

“What's wrong with him?” I said, while nearing the man to get a better look at Jason.

“I don't know... Who are you exactly?”

“It doesn't matter 'who' I am. I live here, and you are intruding in my home.” 

“Your home? I thought he lived alone.”

“You know him or something?”

“Why don't you put the gun down so we can talk about this like civilized people?”

“No. Not until you give me a good reason not to shoot you.”

“Well for starters, he's still alive.”

“Really? Because from here-” my chin starts to quiver, “I can't even see him breathing.”

“Just put the gun down. I'm not a threat to you, or him.”

“No! Not until you start answering my questions. Who are you?”

“My name is John. I'm a friend of Jason's.”

“That can't be true. Jason told me he didn't have any friends."

The man looks down to his left at Jason's unconscious body and then back at me. “Then he's lying to you.”

“Or maybe you're lying to me.” I said, still pointing the gun. I'm not a fan of using guns. I would rather just be beating this guy up to get my answers, but I'm wearing high heels, and this guy's calmness is really starting to make me nervous. I'm starting to feel like he has a secret weapon. Maybe he's a meta. 

He keeps looking down at Jason, like he was waiting for something to happen. He starts to slowly lower his hands. “Why don't we just take this down a notch, okay? I really don't think you want to kill me.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yes... Because if you're anything like Jason, you would have done it already.” His hands fall down by his side. I was slightly distracted as I try to figure out if this guy is really a friend of Red Hood's, or if he's just a villain who knows a lot about him. He reaches one hand behind himself. 

“Put your hands where I can see them!” I shake the gun at him in a quick panic. He hesitates a second and then brings his hand back by his side and slowly starts raising them. “What did you just do?” 

“Nothing.”

“Turn around.”

“What?”

“I said, turn around!” He slowly complies as I walk towards him. “I'm not trying to feel your ass. I just need to see what you put in your pocket.” I reach down and pat his back pockets. There was definitely something in one of his pockets. I reach in while still holding the gun to the back of his head and before I could grab whatever the object was, he twists my arm around, making me lose my grip on the gun. He's not a meta, but he definitely has some moves. 

He points the gun at my head. “I'm sorry it has to be like this.” He said, as he walks toward me and I back away. The only thing I could think of was, damn these high heels. 

“I believe you when you say that you live here, even though Jason never mentioned it. His mistake. Not yours. So I'm sorry for what comes next.” 

“Don't!” I put my hands to my stomach for extra protection for the baby. He stares down at where my arms were hugging my waist and then looks back up at me, like he knew exactly what my reaction meant. I move my hands away quickly to avoid confirmation.

“I wasn't going to shoot you... I was going to hit you over the head. I told you, I'm his friend.”

“Still... He never mentioned having a friend named John.” 

“He probably doesn't mention a lot of things. That doesn't make them untrue.” He walks slowly around me trying to make his way to the exit, while still pointing the gun at me. Then there was a moan. We both look to the bed where Jason was rolling to his side with his eyes still closed. 

“Jason?!” I said, but he doesn't respond. I look at John as he slowly sets the gun on the floor. He looks relieved to see Jason coming conscious, so maybe he wasn't lying. 

“What the hell's going on~?” Jason mumbles as he starts to sit up and looks at us. “John?” He looks at the floor where the gun was sitting evenly between us and then back at John with an angry look.

“Before you overreact, Jason, she pulled the gun on me first.” 

Jason swings his feet over the edge of the bed and slowly starts to stand up. 

“Jason.” I ran to him to guide him. “Are you all right? Where have you been?”

“It's a long story...” He looks at John, “Thanks for your help. You can leave now.”  
John nods and then leaves through the front door. As soon as the door closes, I let go of Jason's weak body and shove him down onto the bed with anger. 

“Now were the hell were you? You told me you didn't have any friends! I was this close to shooting the guy, Jason!”

“I don't have any friends, except for you... John's just a guy I met in... well, assassin school.”

“Well, he seems to think you guys are pals.” 

“I'm sorry, Steph. I didn't mean to be gone so long. I just needed to clear my head, and then I just... I just got real sick and couldn't make it back. And I don't even remember why, but some reason I called John and not you. I wasn't thinking straight, I'm sorry.”

“What did you get sick with? Someone poison you again?”

“No... it wasn't a big deal...” 

I sat down next to him as tears start to run down my cheeks. 

“Are you okay, Steph?” Jason said, staring at my profile.

“Why can't you just tell me things, Jason? I need to understand. Why is it so hard?” 

He studies my profile for a few moments. “Because... you won't see me the same way ever again...There are things I've done that I regret. Thing's I don't deserve to be forgiven for. Not by you. Not by anyone... I don't think you really know what you're asking for, Stephanie... Once you know all my secrets and everything there is to know. You're not going to find a man that you understand better. You aren't going to find a person deserving of forgiveness. You are just going to be disappointed... And hurt... because I am that monster that the family paint me out to be.” He looks down as tears fill his eyes. “And you don't deserve a guy like that. I finally realized that yesterday... You deserve so much more. Stuff that I am incapable of ever giving you.” His voice starts to break through his tears and I start to cry more. “I'm just so sorry I let it get this far... We never should have done any of this. I was a fool thinking we could make it work. We can't, because a relationship is only as good as each half. And I'm not 'good' at all.” 

I think I understand him now. It will probably take a life time before he's done telling me all his tales, but I think I can live with that. I know I can forgive him, whether he wants me to, or not... because he feels remorse. So he's not the monster that he and his family claim he is. He's just a human. Beautifully flawed. Painfully existing. Positively broken. Human. 

I turn his face toward mine as tears blur my vision. “Like I said before... there's good in everyone, Jason. If you value my opinion, then you should know that I don't think you're evil. And I believe that with all my heart.”

He shook his head and looks down, not believing me.

“But if it was true, and you are evil, then why did you save my life twice?” my comment catches his attention, like he had never realized it before.

“If you weren't a good person, you wouldn't 'kill' bad people to protect the innocent ones. You wouldn't have jumped off a building without your grappling gun to rescue a girl you didn't even know. Or protect her from an explosion, when the fact is, she gets on your nerves. You wouldn't have done that if you weren't a good person at your core... I may not know of all the things you've done, but I do know your heart is guarded, and that only means one thing...” I brush my hand on his cheek and rub my thumb on a scar on his lip and tears run down both of our cheeks. “It means you have a soft heart that breaks easily. And I think that's why you don't want to fall in love...” I lean in and kiss his cheek, his eyes close, then I rest my forehead on his. “Do you just need time, Jason?... Time to tell me everything? Because I will try to give you that. I can be patient, if you will just try to talk to me, but you have to 'try'.”

He looks at me with his weepy eyes. “... I don't know if I'll ever be ready, Steph... It terrifies me to tell you everything. My mistakes. My sins. The darkness that still haunts me, even today... It feels wrong to ask you to wait for me, when I don't even know if I can do it... if I can tell you everything... But I know I want to... So tell me a solution, Steph... Tell me what we should do, because I feel more confused now than I have felt in a very long time. I don't want to disappoint you... because I think I'm all ready in love with you... And I have to do right by you, and that may mean that I don't get a happy ending.” Tears stream down his face, and mine.

“Jason... I'm willing to try. You may not be willing to try for yourself, but if you love me, won't you give 'me' that chance... of finding happiness with you?” I said. 

He stares at me a moment, contemplating what I said, and then he nods as tears fall down. I press my lips up to his, to comfort us both.

I kiss him and with the desire for more of him, I push my tongue between his lips, and his lips part slowly to receive it and then he slips tongue between mine as we both kiss deeper, trying to reach that spot deep in the roof of each others mouths that satisfies us. We are both still crying as we fall back on to the bed, facing each other and intensely kissing. I'm always the one leading in these situations, the exception being our first time. It's almost like he's not sure what's too much, too soon, so he drags things out until I suggest something more. I appreciate and admire his patience and adore his insecurity. 

I lift my leg and wrap it around his and then my hand grabs his ass and pulls his hips on top of mine. He slowly presses up against me and then his hand braces my neck and slowly goes down until he's gently cupping my breast. He pulls me in closer, closing any gaps left between us. 

 

It was still dark when I woke up and Jason was still beside me. I turn on the lamp and lay there for an hour just watching him sleep. I have never seen him stay asleep this long before. He's still not wearing any clothes so I don't think he got up while I was asleep to work out or do vigilante things like he usually does.

I stare at his bare flesh, and the soft looking curves of his muscles, and for some reason the thought of our baby becomes heavy on my mind. I lay on my side thinking about how I should tell him the news. I play every scenario in my head over and over. Trying to prepare myself for every possible reaction. I start to think maybe I should just tell Alfred and have him tell Jason. The more I thought about that, the better it sounds. I don't know how I feel about this baby. I didn't see anything like this happening for at least another eight years, but then I look at Jason and I start to feel more peace, and at the same time more insecurity. 

I watch his heart beat between the dip of his collar bone. It was a shallow beat and at times would speed up into a heavy irregularly beat. Then his breathing stops. I wait and count the seconds passing before he takes another breath. I have seen this happen to him before when he was sleeping, but he later told me it was nothing to worry about. 

I've been watching him for a hour now as the sun starts to rise and light up the room. I reach over and turn off the lamp and resume my careful study of him. I rub his chest through the covers, and then realize it's been awhile since I saw him take another breath. I wait and start counting the seconds he's gone without air. I suddenly notice his heart isn't beating. I wasn't sure if I was just seeing things, or if it is just a very shallow heartbeat. I touch his neck and am startled to find that he feels as cold as a corpse. My heart leaps in my chest painfully. “Jason?!” I press my finger along his throat, but I can't find a pulse. 

I sit up quickly, my nakedness being the furthest thing from my mind, as I try to pull his bare body out of the bed to get him on a hard surface to start chest compressions, but he's a lot heavier than I anticipated and I'm struggling to move him. In my frustration and horror, I pound my fist on his chest as hard as I can and scream, “JASON!!”

His eyes flutter open and he gasps for air and starts panting. “Huh...?” He looks around like he has no idea where he is. 

I Pull his head up to my neck and cradle him. “I thought you were dead.” I barely get out through my sobbing. He was still struggling to breath and pulls away from me. He was trying to articulate his words but was just mumbling under his breath.

“What is it? What's happening?”

“dra-- … er.” he reaches for the nightstand. I open the drawer for him. There were a few syringes with fluid in them and no label. He grabs it from me and injects it in himself, then lays back and closes his eyes.

“Jason? What is that?... I'm calling for help!”

“No!... I just need a minute... I'll be fine... Please... don't.” He turns his head to the side and closes his eyes. I wasn't sure if I should trust his judgment right now. I get off the bed and grab my phone and then hesitate. I grab one of the syringes, while he's not looking, and put it in my back pack, then I climb back in bed to lay down next to him with my phone still in my hand. I put my head on his cold chest and listen carefully to his heart beat and breathing, making sure he doesn't die on me.

Five minutes go by and I was still laying there. I start rubbing his chest roughly trying to warm his heart and lungs up with the stimulation. He finally moves a little and I lift my head to look at him. He looks so much better than he did a few minutes ago. He brushes my hair out of my face and smiles.

“What was that?”

“Nothing a hot shower won't fix... Thanks for your help.”

“Do not do that to me!” I said angrily and pull away from him.

“Do what?”

“Lie to me! I thought you were dead!” I choke back the tears.

“Steph... I'm fine... Really... I just get a little tired sometimes.” 

“You weren't breathing, Jason! I couldn't even find a pulse!” 

“It's... never happened like that before... Thank you, for helping me... for saving me.”

“What is really going on with you?”

I stare at him giving him a chance to tell me the truth, but he just stares back in my eyes and remains true to his lies. I climb off the bed and start putting my clothes on. I glance at him to make sure he's catching my vibe. He has a concerned and confused look on his face. He knows I'm very, very mad at him. 

“Where are you going?” he said, as he sat up in bed.

“Back home.”

“...Why?... Are you mad at me?”

I slip a shirt over my head not bothering to put a bra on. Then I stare at him a moment, just letting my face expression answer his question. I turn around, grab my backpack, and stuff it with an arm full of my clothing and then head towards the door.

“Steph?” he said, and gets out of the bed quickly and runs after me with no clothes on.

“I guess I’ll see you around. That's if you're still alive.” I said and then shut the door before he could plead any further. I storm down the hall but hear him running after me. 

“Stephanie! Wait!” he grabs my arm and turns me towards him. I glare at him, but get distracted for a moment at seeing him still completely naked. “Can we talk about this, please?”

“Jason, I can put up with a lot of your shit. But I'm not going to love you, if your just going to let yourself die!... That... I don't deserve.”

“I know that! And I’m not trying to let myself die! I have it under control. I just need you to give me a little time to explain.” I shake my head and abruptly break my arm free from his grip, but he grabs hold of me again. “It's more complicated than you think!”

“Just tell me then! I'm not stupid, Jason! There's no way it's that complicated that I won't understand!... What's going on with you?” He stares at me with his mouth gaping open, hesitating for whatever his stupid reason is. “I'm still waiting.” 

His words come out in a low rumble that I can't understand between the random pauses and breaks. He sighs in frustration in an attempt to start over, but his eyes dart up to the right side as if he's crafting a lie. “Do I need to give you a few more seconds to come up with your flawless lie?” I hissed. 

He looks at me with furrow brows, about to defend himself right as the neighbors open the door and walk out into the hall with their teenage daughter. They all gasps. “Oh my god!!” the mother hollers at the sight of seeing a naked man standing in the hallway. We both look at her as she pulls her grinning teenage daughter back into the house and quickly shuts the door. 

Jason looks back at me not seeming to care that some strangers just saw him naked. I start stepping backwards and shaking my head. “I don't like this person I'm turning into, Jason. I don't like fighting and lying to everyone I care about. I don't like not being able to visit Tim whenever I want, because I'm afraid I'll run into Bruce and he'll figure out that we're together.” he watches me as I continue inching my way further and further from him. “I'm tired of living in secret. Of protecting secrets that I don't even know about... I... I want you, Jason... but I don't like feeling like 'you' don't trust 'me'.”

“Stephanie.” he reaches out to me, but I take a bigger step away.

“Good-bye, Jason... I still love you~” I turn around before he sees me sobbing and race down the stairs. This time he doesn't follow.

 

I get back to the manor and walk in the front door. “Alfred?!” I call out but there's no response. I walk into the family room and stop as soon as I see Bruce rising from his seat. He stands there with a confused look on his face as I swing my backpack down and throw myself onto the sofa next to it.

“Where the hell have you been?” he said.

I stare back at him. “I had to get away for awhile.”

“'Awhile'? You were gone almost three weeks. I asked Alfred why you weren't at the address you gave him. He became secretive. I pressed the matter and not more than a second later I get a call from Dick, telling me he thinks Jason has something to do with your leaving... So, why the hell would Dick think that, Stephanie?”

“Because... It's true.” I said, with a bad attitude. Not caring anymore about protecting the badly kept secret. 

He stares at me trying not to show his true thoughts on the matter. “Why?”

“Why do you think? We're banging, okay?”

Bruce's breathing was quickening as he tries to remain calm, but I can see the rage in his eyes. 

“And before you start yelling at me. I get it. You're pissed... I only came back because--” I reach into my backpack and pull out the syringe. “I need you to tell me what this is.”


	16. I Won't Forgive You.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Bruce is looking for a cure for Jason, Stephanie's and Jason's relationship takes another turn, and then dinner with the family leaves everyone with crushed feelings. And Alfred might get the worst of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mature content in this chapter (towards the middle, if you want to skip). :)
> 
> Jason having cold skin was inspired by somebody on tumblr, if you know who the idea came from, please let me know so I can give them credit. But the rest of the health problems associated with his cold skin is my own imagination. I will always make sure to credit people when they inspire me.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

“Translation please?” I said, my voice leaving a slight echo throughout the batcave.

“It's adrenalin mixed with another compound, but I'm not sure what it is yet... Are you sure this was Jason's?” Bruce looks at me.

“Yes.”

“Do you know for fact he was using it?”

“Yeah, I'm sure. Early this morning, I was watching him sleep when I noticed he stopped breathing and I couldn't even find a heartbeat. I tried to start chest compressions, but wasn't able to move him onto a hard surface. So in my frustration I pounded my fist on his chest and- I don't know, I guess it was enough to start his heart again. Unless it was just a coincidence. But once he was conscious, he asked me for the syringe in the nightstand and injected it in himself. Five minutes later, he was coherent and looked alive again.”

“Hmm.”

“So, is he literally an adrenalin junky?”

“Yes and no. This drugs components are more complex than anything I've ever seen. Part of it is entirely unidentifiable through my computer system. It will take more advance testing to see if I can dig up anything else. I don't know where or who he could have gotten it from, but-” he pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. “I just can't believe I didn't put it all together before.”

“Put what together?”

“Everything. His reckless behavior in general. His constantly physically exhausted state. His heart arrhythmia and low body temperature. He also seems to be suffering from some form of heart failure... The few times we kept him in recovery we discovered he had hypotension, or low blood pressure, along with poor blood circulation both probably contributing to his chronic low grade fever. And all of which could be caused by a number of things. It could be a rare out come of using the Lazarus pit. It could be self inflicted, or maybe he's just simply lacking the 'spark of life'.”

“hmm... I did notice one thing though. When he's been relatively inactive, and by that, I do not mean sex.” 

Bruce looks really annoyed and rolls his eyes at me. 

“I mean like, when he's just woken up or been sitting on the couch for a hour, his skin will feel much colder to the touch and he'll be very pale. But if he works out his body temperature will be almost normal. The other weird thing is, he takes scolding hot showers. And I mean 'scolding' hot.”

“Interesting... I wouldn't be surprised if the bacteria in his gut that is meant to protect his body as long as he's alive, still thinks he's dead and is trying to decompose him while he's still living.”

“Eww! Why would you tell me that?” 

“It's just another theory. If it wasn't for the fact that he died, and was dead for God only knows how long, I would say it's impossible, but considering his circumstances, anything could be possible for all I know. Anyways, back when he dived off that roof to save you awhile back, we notice some other irregularities. His white blood cell count is a little bit on the high side, but nothing to be worried about. His liver has some damage, most likely the result of substance abuse. But from what I 'can' tell, prolonged use of this drug will do permanent damage to his health. But it's still possible that it could be keeping him alive a little longer too.”

“So you're saying-” 

He suddenly interrupts me with aggravation. “Stephanie, if you don't understand that, then you might as well save your questions until I actually have answers for you. I don't need to be wasting my time trying to explain things in a water-downed version.”

I glare and cross my arms. “You were the one voluntarily rambling on!... Is it just me that you treat with such disrespect? Or is this why Dick left in the first place?”

“I get you don't like me, but I am trying very hard to be nice to you.”

“Oh really? By constantly being an ass?”

“That's funny that 'me' being an ass would bother you, considering who your 'boyfriend' is.”

“And the two of you are at it again. I see you didn't waist anytime.” Alfred said, as he walks towards us. “Have you found anything yet?”

Bruce and I try to suppress our rage. “We just barely started digging, Alfred. But from what I have found, I know more about Jason than I do about this serum, and that's saying a lot. But on the bright side, I now have a better understanding about Jason's behavior in general. His choices in life, including his recklessness and irritability.”

“Yes, Master Jason is quite the odd ball in the family.” Alfred said, is his typical sarcastic tone.

“I don't know why you are saying that with sarcasm, when it's true?... Anyways, Jason is trying to keep his heart rate up for some reason. I suspect he knows a lot about his condition, and doesn't bother to tell any of us. But as far as I can tell, he really is a walking dead person, in every sense of the word.”

“Oh damn.” I said.

Bruce pinches the bridge of his nose. “I wish he would have just come to us and talked to us about it.”

“Yes, well, Master Jason has always been, dare I say, the most independent individual in the family. Then to factor in the bad blood between the two of you, him keeping secrets is not at all surprising.”

“And to think, the evidence was right there in front of me this entire time, and I ignored it because I didn't want to see it.”

“Oh damn.” I said again, still in my own mindful despair. 

Bruce looks annoyed as he acknowledges my state of being. “What?”

“I-... I was banging with a zombie?”

Bruce stares at me a moment. “Yes, well you're a dumb girl sometimes.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just an observation.” 

He's looking for a fight, but right now I'm not in the mood. I stand to my feet and walk towards the exit. 

“Where are you going?”

“Probably to go do more stupid stuff. Clearly your brilliant mind can function flawlessly without a slivering of reality around.” 

“Stephanie. I would like to run some test on you first. Just to be sure that-”

“Be sure of what?!” I snap and narrow my eyes on him. “That your zombie son hasn't given me any contaminates? No, Bruce...You're not touching me.” 

He steps closer to me calmly, almost like he's literally walking on egg shells. “We don't know what any of this means. His body is clearly not completely 'repaired' by dipping in the Lazarus pit. There could be risk factors with you... 'sharing' a bed with someone who used to be dead.” 

I roll my eyes. 

“Stephanie, has your health changed at all since you started 'partnering' with Jason? I can't help but notice you look very pale.”

Part of me is curious if I do have something wrong other than morning sickness, but the other part of me does not want Bruce finding out I'm pregnant. He's the last person I want to tell. “Don't pretend to care, Bruce. The doting father doesn't look good on you.” I turn around and race up stairs to the manor. 

I go up to Tim's room where he's laying on the bed, still in a coma. I brush my hand over his forehead and lay down next to him. “Hey, Tim... I'm sorry I haven't come to visit you in awhile. Me and Jason both wanted to see you, but we couldn't. The family doesn't approve of me dating him, so I had to stay away so they didn't find out.. I wish you were here, awake. I miss you... I need to tell you something. I need your advice.” I start crying and press my lips to his ear and whisper. “I'm pregnant... with Jason's baby... But I don't know how to tell him... I'm so scared... I feel so alone right now... I don't know if Jason will freak out and abandon me, or if he'll be there for me, to comfort me... I guess I just don't know him the way I know you... I miss you so much, Tim.”

A week went by and I laid around in bed and ate chocolate the entire time, feeling sorry for myself. I was mad at Jason for being as sick as he is and not telling me. I'm mad at him for getting me knocked up, even though I'm just as guilty. I want another chance to talk with him, I wish he could just see through what I said to him and just know why I said it, even though that's an unfair expectation. I keep blaming him because it's easier than blaming myself.

Everyday Alfred would come in and try to get me out of bed and to eat healthy food. And now today he opens the blinds, letting the sun brighten up my room. “Rise and shine, Miss Brown. Master Bruce wants to know if you want to work a case with him this evening? He says he could use the help.”

“No... I don't feel good.”

“That's because you've been laying around eating chocolate all week. Now this has gone on long enough!” 

“Has Jason called?” I said, as my voice cracks.

“No, he has not.”

“Why is he such a jerk?”

“I do not know Miss, but if you would like I can intervene and make him behave. Just say the word.” He walks to the next window pulls apart the curtains blinding me with the sunlight. He starts rambling on about him, then he turns to me. “Miss Brown, have you been drinking?”

“No.”

“hmm.” He pulls me out of the covers. “Go get a shower. I'm fixing you a salad and you're going to eat it. And then you're going to do something productive with your day.”

“I don't want to.” 

“You are going to whether you like it or not.” He guides me to the bathroom and hands me a clean towel. “Now go.”

After getting a shower I felt much better. I walk out in my towel to see that he laid out some clothes for me. I start getting dress and when I put my jeans on I notice I'm struggling to pull them up. I look to the mirror and- oh boy, was I fat. I could barely zip my jeans. 

I race down the stairs trying to work off my extra weight at every possible moment. I take a seat at the breakfast bar and sip my drink just when Bruce walks in. “Good to see you out of bed, Stephanie. You look uh-”

“Fat?”

“Do not answer that, Master Bruce. A gentleman never comments on a woman’s weight.” Alfred said swiftly. I suddenly start crying, knowing that the only reason Alfred was saying that is because he noticed I was fat too. Bruce and Alfred exchange a look. 

Bruce leans in and whispers to him. “Why is she so depressed?”

“I can only assume it has something to do with our little heart breaker, also known as the Red Hood.”

“Has she contacted him at all?”

“No, Sir. Not that I am aware of.”

“I can still hear you?” I hissed at them.

“Stephanie, if you're this upset about Jason, why don't you contact him and work it out? Whatever it is.”

“No. I don't want to talk to him.”

“Well if you don't want to fix it, I suggest getting over it. And to help the process along I'm getting you professional help. Alfred, make her an appointment.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“No! I'm fine. I just don't feel good, okay?”

“Then we'll get you a physical too.”

“I don't need a physical!”

“Yes you do. You said you've been feeling sick for a few months now. And in just one week you've gained like ten pounds!”

I gasp, shocked that he would exploit me like that.

“Oh dear.” Alfred said.

“You... are a monster!” I yell at Bruce and start leaving the room. 

“Well, Alfred, don't just stand there. Teenagers are your expertise. Do something!” 

“Yes, Master Bruce. As soon as you give me another raise.”

“huh?... You are so greedy.”

“Indeed, Sir.” He pulls out a piece of paper and pen from his pocket. “Just sign here, Sir.”

“What? You were carrying that around in your coat pocket?”

“Yes, Sir. Whenever the children come for a visit, the only exception being Master Timothy, I carry this on me at all times. It's for all the collateral damage you cause that I end up fixing, which is not in my job description.” 

Bruce scowls, “Fine.” then signs the paper. 

 

After pleading with Alfred, he finally said if I start taking care of myself again then he won't tell Bruce that I'm not seeing a therapist. After a couple days of doing some exercise and eating green smoothies, I started to feel much better, but I only lost two pounds. It helped that Alfred forced me to do some hobbies and lots of reading. It kept my mind off of... things. 

One evening, Alfred was cooking a big dinner while I sat in the library reading a book. I hear Alfred in the hall talking. “Just wait in the library for me and I will be in with you as soon as I can.” 

Great, just what I need is to entertain a guess. I look for a quick escape and try to hide in the window drapes before whoever the guest is sees me. 

“Okay, Alfred.” I stop, coming to the conclusion of who it was when the door opens and Jason walks in. His eyes widen as soon as he sees me. “Uh, sorry. Alfred told me to wait in here.”

“No, don't apologize. Alfred knew I was in here. Guess he thinks he's helping.”

Jason remains silent for a moment, giving me just enough time to look him over. He's wearing jeans and a casual shirt and his motorcycle jacket. He looks handsome, but also a little more tired than usual. “Well, if you want me to leave, I can wait in another of the hundred rooms...?”

“No. It's fine...” 

We both try not to stare as we remain silent for a few awkwardly long moments. Jason suddenly steps closer to me. “Steph, I understand why you are mad at me. You have every right to be, but I want to explain if you'll just give me the chance... I know you took one of the syringes from the nightstand. And I'm guessing you probably have a lot more questions now.”

“Yeah, I do... Jason, are you dying?”

“I don't know... Probably.” 

I feel my heart pounding in my chest as I fight the tears filling my eyes. 

“I started having problems a year ago. And they've only progressively gotten worst since then.”

I walk closer to him hastily. “Did you get help? A Doctor? Scientist? Somebody?”

“Yes. I had several physicians look at me but they couldn't do anything for me. They said my body's failing me...”

“Bruce has been running down leads trying to see if he could find a name for your symptoms. He's been looking for a cure.”

“He shouldn't waste his time.”

“It's not a waste of time if we find a cure.”

“It is because it's fate.”

“What? Fate?...You're just going to give up and accept dying because of belief in fate?!”

“I'm not supposed to be here. I'm supposed to be sleeping six feet under still in a 15-year-old boy's body. Fate--God, whatever you want to call it, they are correcting their mistake with me.”

“No, Jason, you want to talk about fate? Fine. Fate is that a 15-year-old boy was never supposed to die for his parent. That's not how it works! That's why you came back to life! Because fate didn't want you dead!”

“Wrong! Fate isn't fair. Maybe I wasn't supposed to die, but I did. And that was my choice to die trying to save my mother... If fate were so fair, then why are all the other people in the world who were victimized, still dead? Why was I the only exception?” The room falls silent for a moment and I realize just how loud we were yelling. Jason speaks in a softer voice. “I could have gotten out of there... I could have escaped without my mother. As soon as I realized it was a trap, I was doing what Batman taught me., looking for a way to survive... But I couldn't let my mother die so that I could live...” 

“Why?...That's what she did to you.”

“But that's not what soldiers do.”

I suddenly feel enraged that he believes that a 15-year-old boy has the responsibility of a soldier. “But she was trading your life to pay for her crimes, her debts! I know the story, Jason. Alfred told me everything. How your mother made horrible decisions in life. She regretted having you and instead of putting you up for adoption, she dumped you on your good for nothing dad and his drug-addicted girlfriend... Your real mom resented your existence so much that she dedicated her life to performing illegal abortions on 12-year-old girls!... Because she didn't want anyone else going through what she went through, which was conceiving you... That's the kind of person you died for. Someone who actually hated you.” 

We both remain silent for a moment as tears stream down my cheeks, and tears start to glisten in his eyes. I shouldn't have reminded him of what he already knows, but I feel like hurting him is the only way to jolt him awake to the reality that he already got cheated once, and he doesn't deserve to be cheated again. I'm probably not helping, but I can't let him give up on living, or worst, throw his life away again for someone else who's undeserving. 

He remains silent as tears drip from his eyes. I'm filled with both grief and anger that Sheila Haywood would do that to her child... to my Jason. He didn't deserve that. She didn't deserve him. I'm starting to wonder if there is anyone that deserved him.

“You know what the worst part of your whole story is?... It's that you knew that. You knew all about her life, how much she despised you and you still sought her out...You forgave her and tried to save her... I don't understand why? Why did a 15-year-old boy die for a parent that didn't give a damn about him?... Why Jason?!”

“Because... she was my family.”

I start sobbing as my heart breaks apart in my chest. “But you had a family... with Alfred. And Bruce.” 

“I know, but I convinced myself that having a mom would fill that void... I imagined that she and Bruce would both be there through all my milestone--when I get married and have kids and that... would make me fulfilled. I told myself that I could make it right by showing her that I was a good person... I was a hero... But then I failed. And in my last moments, I still forgave her...” His mood and voice became darker. “But it wasn't until I came back to life that I realized, that all my life, my forgiveness, my hope, and my death... it was all for nothing... because people never change... And my life didn't matter in the end to anyone... So don't you dare try to tell me what I did wrong. I already know!”

More tears stream down my face and I step closer to him. “I'm sorry... I just don't want to see you give up on living... because your life means the world to me... Doesn't that matter to you?” 

“Yes it matters, more than you know. But I'm still dying, Stephanie. I can't change it. No one can... Innocent people die all the time. So why would I be so special that fate would want to give me another chance that no one else gets?... I'm not someone special... I never was... I'm dying, but I'm okay with it now. I've made peace with it... Can you?”

“No... No! because this isn't fair at all! You're giving up! And that's not fair to me, or Alfred, or Bruce! We are going to find something to help you, Jason. We'll make a cure. But if you 'choose' to just give up before we find one, that isn't being fair to us!”

“I know that! I'm not choosing this at all! But it's still happening!”

“I can't lose you... You don't deserve to die!” 

His expression softens. “That's denial, Steph.”

“Denial?” I grow more frustrated by the second until I lose my temper entirely. “DENIAL!” I grab a lamp off the coffee table and throw it at him. He dodges it then it shatters against the door behind him then looks back at me with concern. “I don't deserve this, Jason. I'm not a bad person. I don't deserve you breaking my heart.” My rage quickly turns into sorrow.

“I'm sorry... I never meant to hurt you.”

“What did you think was going to happen?... You let me fall in love with you when you knew you were dying.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“The truth.”

“The truth is, I fell in love with you. And I wanted to be happy for once in my life! I didn't think about how it would hurt you because I was a selfish dick!... And now I can't forgive myself for that... I'm so sorry... because I didn't deserve to be happy, but you did... What do you want me to do to fix it?...” 

I shake my head. “There's nothing you can do...The damage is irreversible.”

He drops his head down defeated as more tears start to fall from his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he whispers then slowly turns to the door and rest his hand on the doorknob for a moment. I start to feel panic at the thought that I may never see him again. That I may never get the chance to tell him about the baby. I can't let him leave without knowing, so I swallow my pride. 

“Jason?” I hastily walk towards him. “I know we're in a bad place right now, but...”

He turns back towards me. “What?”

My stomach tightens and my heart starts pounding in my chest. We gaze into each other's eyes as all the anger and hurt falls away. My mind starts to drift as I get sucked into the softness of his weepy eyes. “I just... um.” I start to want him really bad, and then my eyes are drawn to his muscular pecks showing through his slightly tight fitting shirt. He looks down at his shirt probably wondering why I was staring. “God dammit, Jason.”

“What?”

I take a deep breath and then look away from him trying to put myself back in a less horny mood, I don't know how to work up to the topic. “C-could we take a seat?”

He thinks about it, looking more confused by the second. “Sure.” We walk to the couch and sit down. I try to think of how to say it, but some reason it's getting harder and harder for me not to just grab him and kiss him. He keeps glancing at me in the corner of his eye and remains patient and silent, waiting for me to say something. “What did you want to talk about?” He finally speaks up, but the warmth of his voice distracts me further. “Steph?”

I swallow and exhale a shaky breath and then speak with more confidence. “Well, there's just I've been-” I absentmindedly put my hand on his thigh and we both freeze for a moment with widened eyes. We look down and then glance up at each other shyly and for some reason I don't move my hand, and he doesn't move it either. I don't know if it's my nerves or me wanting this against my better judgment, but I curl my fingers in gripping his inner thigh, and I hear him almost gasp. I whisper without looking at him. “Why are you so hot?”

He looks at me as I shyly make eye contact with him. He stares at my lips and then looks away from me. “I'm... actually feeling kinda cold.” His voice breaks then he scoots over, but I impulsively follow him. He's not looking at me now, but his breathing is quickening with excitement or nerves. I rest my hand on his thigh again, and move it up the length of his thigh slowly, then stop. I wait for him to receive or reject the opportunity I'm presenting. Several moments when he doesn't reject, I glance down and notice the bulge in his pants. I look back up at him trying not to smirk, but he honestly just turned me on too. 

I grab his chin to turn his face toward mine. “Jason... We both deserve to be happy... But if you tell me we shouldn't do this, then we won't.” 

“We shouldn't do this...” 

“Oh...” I pull my hand away feeling embarrassed when he grabs me and presses his lips to mine. He grips me by the small of my back and pulls me in as his kisses go down my neck. I let my head fall back as his arm supports all the weight of my torso. I'm lathering myself in his romance and then I moan. “Oh, Jason,” I said in a breathy voice. “Wait.”

He's breathing heavily and pulls away. “What?”

I try to pull his jacket off his shoulders and he assists me. I grab him by the shirt and then lay back on the cushions of the couch and pull him over me and start kissing him, while we start removing the rest of our clothing. 

“waitwaitwait.” He said as he tries to pull his lips away from mine, but not really wanting to.

I pull away. “What?”

He replaces my lips with my skin and kisses down my neck and continues talking through the kisses. “Maybe... we should go up... to... one of the rooms... Just to be sure Alfred... or Bruce... doesn't catch... us.”

I try to control my breathing while he seduces me with kisses. “Don't worry. They won't... Alfred is hoping... we will work it out. And that's exactly what we're doing.” I grin then direct his head to indulge in the taste of his mouth once more.

He pulls away again. “But maybe-” I shut him up with another deep kiss. We somehow end up on the floor, with me staying on top most of the time, and boy is he getting a great view. 

I bend forward and drag my lips across his cheek until I reach his ear, then I lick it and whisper. “You feel so good.” My words make him tremble. I sit up slowly while his hands rub down my back until he grips the sides of my waist. I work up to my climax and he sometimes guides my motion with his strong arms. 

He sits up and kisses me then whispers against my neck. “You make me so hot.” The double meaning of his words make me go crazy for more. I grip his hair and feel the stubble of his five o'clock shadow jawline prickling against my neck, and his heavy breath against my skin adding a hot, humid, tickling sensation. He tilts his head back to make eye contact with me. I pull away and look down at him, eager to taste his lips one more time, but then we hear the door open. 

“Oh dear lord!” Alfred said, horrified at seeing us naked on the floor with the sofa hardly obscuring our nudity from his sight.

“Ahhh!” I grab Jason's arm to cover my nude breast and he pulls my chest in towards his for extra modesty.

“Alfred, get out!” he yells.

Alfed's quickly stumbles through the glass and shuts the door. Jason frantically reaches to the side and grabs some clothing items and hands me my shirt. Alfred knocks on the door, causing us to both hold our breath. “uh... d-dinner is ready. I, uh, would appreciate it if you would, um, both come to the table... wh-when you can.”

“Okay!” he said, super crabby sounding.

A few minutes later and we are still getting our clothes back on. “Hey, look. I should have listened to you.” I said as I put my shirt on, “But honestly, that man has the 'worst' timing out of everyone I have ever known.”

“Well don't beat yourself up about it. It was my fault I listened to you when I knew it was a bad idea.”

“I'll try not to be offended by that... But man. You would think he would be more cautious when he leaves us alone together. Considering the last time he walked in on us.” 

Jason stops a moment and then slowly zips his pants up as he stares at me with a frown. “The last time?”

“Yeah.” then it dons on me why he's frowning. “Ooh. Did I forget to tell you about that?”

“Yeah, I think so. Stephanie, when did he see us?”

“Oh you know?... In Tim's room... Our first time.” I try to grin to soften the topic, but he remains unswayed by my charm. 

“So... he walked in on us once before and you still thought it was a good idea to do it in a wrong place, again?” 

“Well, yeah...?” I said as shyly as possible and then try to smile like its no big deal. 

He stares at me blankly, trying to mask his frustration. He exhales with tightly shut lips and flared nostrils and continues getting dress. 

After we wipe the sweat off our brow, we concentrate on covering any love bites. Jason got the worst of them on his neck, so I apply my foundation to cover it up. He visibly starts getting more and more anxious about having dinner here.

“Maybe I should just go home?”

“Please tell me you're not feeling guilty?” he starts tugging at the collar of his shirt like it's choking him. “Stop moving.” I smack his hand away and apply more cover up.

“Why did you have to give me so many hickeys?”

I grin. “Couldn't resist, you're a hot hunk of meat.”

“I'll try to forget that you just objectified me as food.” 

I grin and stand on my toes to kiss him. It works like a charm as it distracts him from his worries. “You're my only hot hunk of meat.” I tease.

He rubs his nose against mine while smirking smugly. “You're so romantic.”

I kiss him one last time and then finish applying the last touch of the cover up. We go into the Dining room and towards our seats. Bruce was sitting at the end of the table, still buried in his newspaper and doesn't bother to look at me when he speaks. “It's good you're coming down for dinner, Stephanie. You need to start eating 'real' food again.”

I look behind me at Jason, only to see him look at me with concern. 

Bruce looks up because of my delayed response and instantly notices Jason. “Jason? I didn't know you were coming over for dinner.”

“Alfred invited me.”

“Oh...” Bruce looks us up and down. I'm hoping he can't tell, but he seems to be suspicious. I feel myself starting to perspire.

“Wow! Dinner smells great!” I said as if I'm talking to someone hard of hearing and take a seat, trying to distract from the ten-thousand pound elephant in the room. “Mmmhhm...mh!” I start unfolding my napkin and then notice both of them looking at me like I'm over selling it. “What? I'm starving.”

“Oh, Really? So that's why you gained weight lately?” Bruce said, with a snobby face and then drifts his stare over to Jason and remains there painfully obvious that he's shaming him. Jason frowns and then rolls his eyes and looks at me, faking a smirk as an attempt to lighten the mood. He pulls out the chair between Bruce and I and sits down. I realize to late that maybe it's not such a good idea they're sitting next to each other, but I guess I didn't want to sit next to Bruce either. 

We all sit in silence as Jason and I try not to give Bruce eye contact. His glare gets more intense by the second and I can't help but wonder if we missed a hickey somewhere. The urge to flee the room from embarrassment becomes stronger, but I guess Jason could tell because he reaches under the table and grabs my hand, calming me down drastically.

Alfred comes into the room to join us, taking the seat at the other end of the table, right next to me. He looks at each of us then back at Jason and me a little longer, as if he's checking us for any tell signs that we've been fooling around. “I hope you all enjoy the home cooked meal.”

“I'm sure we will, Alfred. Thanks.” Jason said, then he looks at me. “Have you been feeling okay, Steph?”

My heart leaps in my chest at the question. My eyes land on Bruce for a second as he narrows his eyes on me more intensely, then I look at Jason who's still waiting for my answer. “uhh...”

“She's been a little bleak lately, Master Jason. I'm sure she doesn't want to talk about it.” I look at Alfred, grateful that he seems to understand basic human sensitivities that both Jason and Bruce greatly lack. 

“Oh.” Jason looks at me sympathetically and I repay the expression and then look past him at Bruce only to see that his glare at Jason has only intensified while Jason isn't looking. Jason notices my tense expression and then looks back at Bruce, who fakes a smile to Jason's face then sips his drink.

Alfred hasn't missed a thing. “Well! Family time is the best time, don't you all agree? You only get one family in life and all of us were lucky enough to build one with each other. Most fortunate we are, because family is always there for each other no matter what.”

“Yes, Alfred. I couldn't agree more.” Bruce takes another sip of his drink. “Family. A word that can mean love but with the absolute lack of sexual relationships, and especially incest.” Bruce raises his glass to Jason and I. 

Jason frowns, disgusted at Bruce's comment and then looks back at Alfred. “uh, Alf. Did you hit your head or something?” I kick his leg and he grunts. “Why are you both kicking me?” he looks at Bruce then me. Bruce and I look at each other in disbelief as Alfred raises an eyebrow.

Bruce starts cutting his food. “Well, I contacted that Doctor, Stephanie. He's coming over to talk with you about anything you would like to talk about. Any heart breaks. Health conditions. Et cetera.”

“Master Bruce. Perhaps we should talk about that another time.” 

Jason looks confused and looks at me just as Bruce speaks up. “Why? You just said we're family. Whatever happens we can share problems with one another. For instance if you were sick and dying, barely hanging on to life then you would tell the rest of the family, because that's the kind thing to do to the one's who love you. Wouldn't you agree, Jason?”

Jason looks at him. “Yes, of course. As family we respect each other. And would never plant cameras in other family members apartments or stalk them, because that would be a complete violation of trust and privacy... Right, Bruce?” 

I grin, proud of my boy for his jab on Bruce, but then I start to frown, wondering when the cameras were in Jason's apartment. I glare at Bruce. 

“Quite right.” Alfred dabs the napkin to his mouth. 

We all sit in silence as I start to feel like I'm about to faint with humiliation that not only has Alfred seen me naked but Bruce may have too. Bruce interrupts my thoughts. “This is a wonderful family conversation. I feel like we are really starting to clear the air... Jason, I have a team of scientist and physicians arriving in a few days. They're going to try to find you a cure for your condition. Your full cooperation would be most beneficial.”

Jason's brows furrow as he stares at Bruce for a moment. “No.” he picks up his fork and starts eating. It catches my attention when I see him holding the fork in his left hand when he eats. 

“Excuse me?” Bruce said, in a piercingly serious tone.

“You don't even bother to ask me if that's what I want. You just tell me its going to be this way and that I should cooperate.”

Bruce is silent as he stares and Jason resumes eating. “All right, Jason. Would you like us to save your life by finding you a cure?”

Jason sips his drink slowly then looks back at Bruce. “No. And that's my finale decision.”

Alfred and I look at each other, both distressed at his words. Bruce breaks the silence. “Jason... I know me and you don't get along, but you letting yourself die because of your resentment towards me is ridiculous! I want to help you. Please, let me do this for you...?” 

Jason starts cutting his vegetables into smaller bite size and when it's evident he isn't going to answer I try to add my optimism to the table, hoping to sway him into being more reasonable. “Well, I think it sounds like a great idea! The more people we have helping the better, right?” I said, but some how Bruce gets angry with my input.

“Nobody asked what you think about it, Stephanie.” he hissed.

“Hey!” Jason snaps and scowls at him. “Don't talk to her that way.” Their eyes lock on each other as they measure muzzles... probably. I was ready to start cheering for Jason to kick Bruce's ass, but at the same time I didn't want a big deal about it, then I notice the wide eyed expression on Alfred's face. 

“I am trying to help you, Jason. Despite all of your flaws and all your violent and murderous ways, I still love you.”

“Oh boy.” I said under my breath and start filling my wineglass full, preparing myself for the huge argument that is about to breakout. Alfred tries to stop me from over doing it.

“Save it for somebody who actually gives a damn about what you 'feel', Bruce.” 

Bruce is angered by Jason's rejection. “I don't know why you resent me so much when I have done everything to prove to you that I still love you.”

“That was everything?” he mumbles to himself, mockingly.

“Yes! I have!” Bruce yells.

Jason sets his fork down and looks at Bruce in a calmness that was unnerving. “No you haven't. You feel attachment to me because of the boy you once knew. I'm not that boy any more. I haven't been for a very long time. You hate what I've become. And if I have changed entirely since my days as Robin, which I have, then you cannot love me like you claim.” he picks his fork back up and resumes eating as the rest of us sit in silence at his aloofness.

“Don't act like you know how I feel, Jason. You know nothing about being a father! You don't understand how a parent loves their child no mater how terrible things get.”

“That's just it, Bruce. I'm not your son. I never was. But none of it matters, because my answer is still no. I don't want your help.”

“You're still trying to punish me?! And after all these years you still can't get it through your thick skull that everything I have done is to save you!”

“Stop, Bruce! Just stop! If you can't respect my decision then you might as well pretend I'm still dead. I didn't come here to hear you tell me about what you want me to do with my life. I am so sick of you judging me and every decision I make, and then turn around and get upset when I don't have respect for your opinion.” 

“You have a problem with me judging you?! You have given me every right to judge you! You go around exploiting your allies weaknesses and then you wonder why nobody likes you!”

“Who's wondering. I know why people don't like me. And I also know why people don't like you, so stop acting like you're guiltless when you are constantly betraying my trust.”

“I have never betrayed your trust!”

“That's all you've ever done!” Jason stands to his feet enraged now. “You think I don't know why you were suddenly being nice to me after Tim got injured? I know you think I shot him, and that you were just keeping me around until you could prove it!”

Bruce looks at me bitterly, thinking that I told Jason when in fact I didn't. I'm actually just as surprised as he is that Jason found out.

“Sorry, Bruce, but I don't trust your motives, nor do I believe it's out of the goodness of your heart.”

Bruce rises to his feet angrily.

“Master Bruce.” 

“Stay out of this, Alfred... You got the balls to accuse me of being judgmental, and untrustworthy when 'you' are the most judgmental and untrustworthy person I know, Jason! And it effects every aspect of your life! From the way you fight crime to your relationships with the family. Dick resents you for the countless times he trusted you only to have you manipulate him for your own shady reasons. Barbara doesn't reach out to you, and you have surprisingly left her alone. Tim stupidly defended you every chance he had, and look where that got him. And Stephanie is so demented that she thinks she's in love with you. And you aren't worthy of any of that!” 

“Master Bruce, please!”

“I don't want to see you die young again, Jason. But I am done trying to save you from yourself... I thought it was just your pride, but it's not, is it? It's your hate.” 

“And with all your knowledge, you still don't see any of your own faults. You never have. You expect me to be nice to the family when you have alienated me from everyone, Bruce! So don't you dare pretend to be guiltless!”

“That was a precaution after the countless times you attacked members of this family.”

“Wrong! It didn't become about them until you turned them on me! You sent them after me, trying to send me to Arkham for the rest of my life!... But even before I died I was still treated like the outcast in the family. Dick and Barbara never liked me when I was Robin for reasons I still don't even know... So what did you say to them, Bruce? What did I do then to be so resented?... Or am I just that unlovable?”

Bruce scowls at him. “I didn't say anything. The damage done was your own doing. But you're offended about me bringing them into it, when you're the one who brought Gotham into it first!”

“Yes! Because it was about the innocent people you let down! It was about me, you, and the hell that you preserved! That hell you claimed to love, and yet never gave up the ultimate sacrifice to save it!... You're so caught up in your imaginary world about being the best, and beating your foes, that you don't think about anyone else... That's why everyone leaves you, Bruce. That's why you're going to grow to be an old man and find yourself completely alone... And the people who will be hurt the most, will be the one's who loved you...”

“Well it's a good thing I don't value your opinion, Jason. Because I actually might feel sad right now.” Bruce said in a suppressed rage.

“There it is again... That self righteous belief that you're above everyone else. I don't think you realize how damaging it is to everyone. How it made you fail the romantic relationships with Selena, Vicki, and Talia. And then you don't even try to be a father to your son.”

Alfred and I look at each other confused as to who he's referring to. Bruce looks at the two of us and then back at Jason with rage burning in his eyes, but Jason doesn't back down. He literally steps closer and takes advantage of Bruce's seemingly disadvantage. 

“For all your brooding. All the times you risked your life to save the criminals. I'm still the one who gave Gotham real justice. I made Gotham a safer place to live in just three years than you did in twenty... I saved Gotham.” The words come out like sharp nails, and I realize that not only is Bruce's feelings hurt, but Alfred drops his head down as tears run down his face because of the truth in his words.

“Let's not pretend that your motives for taking Gotham was to save her, Jason. You were trying to steal her... from me.”

“I thought Gotham was a city, a people that live in the same place. I didn't realize you owned us.”

“I don't! But you knew how much Gotham meant to me! That's why you took her and mocked everything I built! You were trying to hurt me...” Bruce looks like he's debating on turning this into a physical fight, but he over comes his rage and speaks calmly. “Get out... Get out of my house.” 

“With pleasure.” Jason moves his chair out and passes Alfred and I then stops once he sees that Alfred is crying. “I'm sorry, Alfred.” He walks away, and part of my heart goes with him, and the rest is stuck in this room. 

Bruce sits down and looks at Alfred and I, then starts savagely stuffing his mouth with food. “What?... Stop staring and eat your goddamn dinner!” 

Alfred and I remain silent as Bruce continues savagely stuffing his mouth full of food. I reach over and grab Alfred's hand as he exhales a shaky breath. He places his other hand on top of mine and pats it comfortingly. “Master Bruce... Would it be all right if I am excused?”

Bruce stares at him a moment. “You can do whatever you want, Alfred...You're your own man.” his voice breaks as he looks down and his eyes start to fill with tears as he relives the reference of the young street kid that Jason used to be. Bruce rises to his feet as his emotions overwhelm him and he flees the room. 

Alfred leaves the room in the opposite direction. I sit in the chair all alone, not sure who to comfort first. I know Jason will just need some time alone, and he'll get better, so I go after Alfred. I hear him talking on the other side of the kitchen door. I open it slowly to see him on the home phone with his back turned toward me. “Please just come back and talk with him... That's not true!... I don't believe you feel that way either...” I can hear him crying again. “Jason, please just come back and try to make it work. I'm begging you.” 

My heart starts to break at the sound of Alfred crying and pleading. 

“Don't do this to me. You both aren't caring about any one elses feelings, just yourselves.” His voice becomes stern. “I'm not asking you, Master Jason. I'm telling you. Come back here this instance.” there's a long pause of just Alfred sniffling. “Alright. Thank you... And Jason?... I love you...” he hangs up the phone, and I slowly shut the door and go down to the cave after Bruce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is called- Tim...


	17. Tim...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of secrets are being kept secret by many members of the family. "Don't tell" is what I was going to name this chapter but i already promised it would be called "Tim."

I go down to the batcave to see how Bruce is holding up; after the argument with Jason at dinner. I walk up and stand beside him as he's stares intensely at the nothingness before him. “Do you want to talk about it?... I'll talk to Jason. Hopefully get him to reconsider accepting your help in finding a cure?” 

“No... He won't accept anything from me... He was right. I hurt everyone I love.... I've even hurt Gotham.”

“Well, you guys were both right and both wrong. So I guess that makes it a stalemate and nobody wins. One thing I know for sure, Bruce. If he dies without you two making peace, you'll never forgive yourself. So why don't you try to repair things?”

“I failed him.” he said, in a manner that makes me feel like he didn't hear anything I just said. “I failed as a father, as a partner, and as a friend.” He inhales deeply as an attempt to relieve the anguish that weighs heavy on his chest. “Two weeks before he died, I realized he was miserable... I had been busy with a case and I told myself, once I was done with the case I would work on our relationship... He had been drifting away from me for awhile, but I realized to late... He died not knowing how much I loved him.” Tears overflow out of his eyes, and drip down his face as he becomes more depressed. I wrap my arms around his waist and hug him, trying my best to comfort him, or maybe I'm just comforting myself.

“I felt so confident in his abilities that I stopped worrying about him early on. I put a lot of responsibility on him, more than I ever did with Dick or Barbara when they were his age... Because I knew how great of a man he could be... But he saw it as me not seeing him as good enough when in reality the opposite was the truth... I was proud of him... He was such a good solder, that sometimes I forgot that he was still just a kid... A kid that needed a Dad more than he needed a outlet for his anger... He was always so eager to please, so loyal to a fault that it made it easy to trust him... But I was hard on him because... I knew then, that he would grow up to surpass me. I saw his potential for greatness...”

Bruce starts laughing through his tears. 

“He was always trying to protect me... Me... He showed up right on time when I needed saving.” His smile fades away as his eyes become grief stricken again. “And I didn't show up on time... when 'he'... needed saving.”

His head tilts down as heavy tears fall from his eyes. He doesn't hold back his sobbing. I don't think I've ever seen Bruce like this. I don't think I've even seen a tear in his eye before. 

“I just-... I just don't know how to reach him... I don't know how to show him that I love him... He's so angry with me. Maybe I should have killed Joker for killing him. I wonder everyday what life would be like if I had... What Jason would be like if I hadn't driven him to want to hate the world so much that he now kills people... That's all my fault... All the people that Jason has killed, it's my fault.”

“No, Bruce, it's not. You might think you're being heroic taking all that responsibility, but there comes a point when you go from being responsible to just being delusional... And sometimes the loving thing to do for the people who love you, is to not carry the weight of the world... I see you both blaming yourselves and each other when the blame is all Joker's. He's the one who killed Jason. He's the one who caused everything to happen the way it did... Not you. Not Jason... Just Joker... And I know Jason doesn't blame you for his decision to kill... He kills for the same reason you break peoples bones. You both do it for people who deserve better than what you and Jason got dealt in life... That's why Jason kills. That's why he fights, because of love and sacrifice for others... You guys need to stop hating each other... because you're more alike than either of you know...” I wrap my arms around his waist again and rest my head against his shoulder.

“I can't. I don't deserve his forgiveness... I never will... I failed my son, Stephanie, and that was harder than losing my parents...”

“Did you ever tell him that?”

He wipes the tears from his face and sniffles his dripping nose. “No, he won't believe me.”

“But he might...” I wait, but when he doesn't look at me I start to walk away, hoping he just needs time to think about what I said. “I'm here if you ever need me.”

“Stephanie?”

“Yeah?”

“I don't know how... There's just so much broken between us.”

“Just... Don't give up on him.”

“Stephanie?...” 

I look back at him again. 

“Thank you for trying to help. I'm sorry I'm so hard on you all the time.... When you almost died... it scarred me. And then Jason almost died again trying to save you... Then I pushed you away even more because I could tell there was something going on between you and Jason. And that mad me so angry with both of you, because-... trouble follows Jason around, and I was afraid you would get hurt, or worse... Then after Tim-... I was wrong for not telling you my concerns. I'm sorry.” He turns away from me.

“I forgive you, Bruce...” I said, then turn around and go up the stairs to check on Alfred again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The next day. Jason goes down the stairs to the batcave in almost a jogging pace. He sees Bruce in front of the computer screen working a case. “Bruce.”

Bruce turns around. “Jason?... I didn't expect to see you here ever again.”

“I didn't expect to come back either, but uh... Alfred called me right after I left last night... He was crying.”

“He shouldn't have bothered you.” Bruce looks back at the computer and tries to look busy as Jason walks up behind him. 

“I'm not sorry for anything I said. I meant it all.”

“I know you did...”

Jason's silent, trying to find a way to correct the course. “Alfred's pretty upset with me though. He begged me to work things out with you. I know that's not a possibility, but I came anyways to make him think we at least tried.” He waits for Bruce's response then pulls up a chair and sits backwards in it. “Could we just pretend to make up for Alfred's sake?” 

Bruce turns back around to face him. “That's awfully deceitful, don't you think?” 

Jason rolls his eyes and looks away from him then gets up and starts walking back to the stairs. 

Bruce sighs and looks back. “Jason!” 

He stops and turns around. 

“I would be willing to do that... For Alfred's sake.” 

He nods and walks back towards Bruce and crosses his arms. “Okay, so what's the plan?”

“We'll pretend to be the best of friends. Love each other like were supposed to.”

Jason starts chuckling. “You're kidding, right?”

Bruce has a stern look on his face. “No.”

He waits a moment for Bruce to confess he's joking, but he doesn't. “Oo-kay. I was thinking something a little bit more believable. Something like, 'we're working on it'.”

“That's a horrible idea.”

“No it's not. Bruce, nobody is going to fall for your idea. Especially not Alfred.”

“I disagree. I think we should have Alfred's one dream in life come true before you die. And if we're being realistic, I would say you only have a year left at best. So, I think if we pretend to have made up entirely, Alfred will have more peace when you finally die young... For the second time.”

“Yeah, but he also doesn't deserve to think that we're lying to him. We're a work in progress. That's the story. Take it or leave it?”

He thinks about it. “Fine.” 

Jason smirks and puts his hand out to shake on it; they shake hands. “When did you get so good at negotiating?” 

Jason's brows furrow while still grinning. “You think that's negotiating? That's child's play, Bruce.”

“Hmm.” He tries to resist the smirk growing on his face.

“So where should we start?” Bruce stands up and grabs him, pulling him into a hug. He remains frozen in his arms. Shocked. “What are you doing?” He hears a noise behind him and looks to the side to see Alfred slowly walking towards them. 

Bruce pulls away to look at him. “That was a good talk. I feel like I finally understand you.” 

Jason tries not to frown at his melodramatic acting then plays along. “Yeah... It's like this weight has been lifted off my chest.”

“I hope I'm not interrupting?” Alfred said.

“Not at all, Alfred. We were just finishing up a case.”

“Oh, well, I'll get out of your way then.”

“Nonsense, Alfred.” Jason pats his shoulder. “I was actually just about to head out. But uh, is Steph around? I was gonna say 'hi' before leaving.” 

“I believe she's upstairs in the gym room.”

“Thanks, Alf.” He starts racing up the stairs.

“Take care of yourself, son!” Bruce said. 

Jason stops on the sixth step, cringing at his words. He takes a moment before looking back at Bruce, ready to give him a dirty look, only to see that Alfred has a soft, hopeful smile on his face, he changes his mind. He forces a smile. “I will... Dad.” he turns back around and goes back up the stairs. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I was upstairs doing yoga when the alarm on my wrist went off telling me to start my running. I race to the lounge room to take the backdoor outside. I go around the corner and smack right into Jason. The collusion slightly knocks the wind out of my lungs and he grabs me by the arms so I don't fall over.

“What's the hurry?” 

I curl forward and rub my chest. “Well, aren't you a pleasant surprise! You and Bruce make up?”

He looks down the hall from where he came and grabs my arm walking me to the lounge room. “No, we're pretending we did. But don't tell Alfred. ”

I cross my arms. “I'm honestly disappointed in both of you.”

“I also came back to make sure you weren't mad at me for anything.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Should I be?”

“I would hope not, but I just wanted to make sure... Hey, we never did finish that conversation yesterday.”

“Oh, yes.” I grin and inch up close to his lips, thinking he's using 'conversation' as code for the sexual encounter we had. “I've been very disappointed I didn't get any 'closure' on my climax.” I bite my bottom lip.

He grins. “That's not what I was talking about.”

“Oh... Still, I don't like leaving things... unfinished.” I grab his belt loops and pull him close and kiss him. 

Are lips rest against each others while we stand there with our eyes closed, then Jason pulls away and looks at me. “I need to talk to you about something. Something I think you'll be happy about.”

“What is it?”

“Well, I mean, I hope you'll be happy about it. I know I am...”

I become more curious by the second. “Are you going to tell me?”

“I have an opportunity to move to Brazil. An old friend of mine is going to hire me to clean up his city. I'm going there in a couple weeks once I get things tied up here.”

“What? For how long?”

He exhales anxiously. “Um... Until I die.”

“What? Why? This is your home. This is where your family is.”

“No, you are my family. And where ever you are, that is my home. That's why I want you to come with me.”

He waits for me to say something but I can't believe he's really saying this. “Jason, you're dying, and you're just going to pack up and leave instead of spending the little time you have left with the family?”

“I thought you would want to leave?”

“No, I don't! Tim's here. Alfed's here. Me and Bruce are just now getting along. And Dick is one town over. If we move to Brazil we'll never see them.”

“But you will. It would just be until-...”

I shake my head. “Why?... Why do you want to run away?... Why would you be so cruel to everyone?”

“I'm not being cruel. It will be peaceful there. Not to mention it's beautiful. And there's lots of things that you would love 'spoiling'.” he grins trying to cheer me up, but when he sees I'm not buying into it he becomes serious again. “I'm going to make a lot of money while I'm there. And regardless if you go with me or not, I'm leaving that money to you when I die.”

“What?... To me?” 

He nods. 

“Why? How?... Are you proposing?”

He swallows nervously. “Yes.” he said, with hopeful eyes. I walk to the couch and sit down. This is happening way to fast and I was entirely unsuspecting. My reaction makes him more nervous. “Well... um... I'll be leaving the money to you anyways and it's a large sum, so you'll be set for the rest of your life. You won't have to rely on anyone else, ever.”

“Jason, that's very generous of you, but I don't understand why?”

“Well, I have to stay busy and... I want to leave something behind when I die... I would like to leave that something to you.”

He waits patiently for me to say something, but I'm distracted by my thoughts. He has no idea he's leaving much more behind then just a dowry. I'm tempted to bring it up right now, but I hold off. 

My long pause urges him to keep convincing me and I let him. “I want your companionship. I want you to be happy and independent. I don't want you to feel like you can't do what you want to in life because you have co-dependency on someone else... If you married me there wouldn't be any obligations, you wouldn't be bound to me, or after my passing, inherit a debt. We don't even need to call it marriage, if that sounds too restrictive, because it wouldn't be at all. I mean, you wouldn't even have to take care of me when I get close to the end. I can hire someone else... Stephanie, you deserve more than anything I can give you. But I want to give you everything that I can.”

“Jason.” 

He kneels down in front of me and brushes his hand against my cheek. “I love you, Stephanie, more and more with every passing day... And every day you're not there beside me, I feel sorrow. I feel homesick in my own home... I've slept alone all my life, and yet now that you're not there in the dark beside me, I realized how much I need you in my life... Because you are my light in my life.”

My eyes start watering as I smile at him and he gazes dreamily into my eyes. 

“I want to be with you as friend or lover... Whatever you want; I'll do. Whatever you need; I'll get. I understand this is a lot to ask you to leave, and if you don't want to go just say so... But I would be honored if you joined me in one last adventure.”

The thought of Jason leaving the country and leaving me behind makes everything more clear. There's nowhere else I'd rather be than with him. Telling him about the baby can wait until we settle down some place. “Alright.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, when do we leave?” 

He smacks his lips on mine in a passion filled kiss, then whispers against my lips. “Thank you.” I open my eyes and smile as tears fall from my eyes. “I hope those are happy tears?” he said, with tears glistening in his own eyes.

“They are.” I laugh and wrap my arms around his neck. “Thank you, Jason... For everything.” I kiss his lips and then pull away while I cry more. “I don't deserve any of this though.”

He smiles softly. “Don't sell yourself short, kid. You deserve more than I can give you... I'm sorry I won't get the chance to build a life with you... I love you, Stephanie Brown.” 

I put one arm hugging around his neck while I pull him close and brush my other hand against his cheek. “And I will always love you... Forever.” We rest our foreheads together and close our eyes. 

We speak quietly to each other about when we should tell the family, then we lay down on the couch together, cuddling. I rest my head on his chest, his heart beat relaxing me until I suddenly feel tired and drift to sleep. 

Next thing I know, I feel Jason crawling over me and I get a chill once the body heat trapped between us escapes, but a second later I feel him put a blanket on me. His lips press against my forehead, he whispers 'I love you' and then he walks away.

I drift into sleep again and am startled awake when my phone starts ringing. I see it's Alfred calling. It's odd though, since he knows I'm home at the manor. “Hello?”

“Miss Brown, are you at the manor?”

“Yes, why?”

“Its Master Timothy!” I sit up quickly afraid of what he might say. “He's awake!”

I gasp with excitement and disbelief. “What?”

“He's asking about you. Come to his room quickly!”

I drop my phone and race up the stairs as fast as I can, refusing to believe it until I see it. I run to his room and push the door open and stop. Tim looks up at me from the bed and smiles while Bruce and Alfred step back. 

“Tim? Tim!” I run to the bed and jump on him holding him in my arms. 

“My word.” Alfred exclaimed at my savage embrace while Tim squeezes me and laughs.

“I started to think you were never going to wake up.” I held on to him again as tears flood my eyes. 

“Its good to see you, Steph.” He becomes still, almost like he's shocked to hear me crying on his shoulder, then I pull away to look at him. He looks so good. He was wide awake and fresh looking. “It's okay... Bruce told me I lost four months, but I'm fine now.” 

“I missed you so much.”

He brushes some of my hair out of my face. “I'm not going anywhere.”

“Tim, we need to run some test on you. Make sure every thing's okay.”

“You have been on soft foods for a long time now, Master Timothy. Would you like me to reintroduce you to a light first meal?”

“Alfred, I would love it! Thanks.” 

“I'm going to call everyone else and let them know you're awake.” Bruce said, as he slips into the hallway.

“Alfred, I'll get his lunch!” I jump off the bed and go into the hall to see Bruce texting.

He looks up at me. “Stephanie, I need to talk to you.”

“What's up?”

“I think Tim has something wrong with his right leg. We might be able to correct it with physical therapy, but only time will tell for sure.”

“Did you tell him already?” 

“No, but I think he suspects. Would you mind gently telling him?”

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Good, meanwhile try to keep him comfortable.”

“You have nothing to worry about.”

“Also...” he lowers his voice to be secretive, “Don't tell him about you and Jason. Not until he's fully recovered. He needs to concentrate on getting well, not having things taxing his emotional health.”

“Yeah, okay, I guess you should let Jason know.”

“Jason won't tell him.” 

I frown wondering why he seems so sure of that. “Well, maybe just to be sure.”

“I'll mention it in the text.”

“Okay.” I start to head down to the kitchen and look back at Bruce still curious why he seems so confident... or is it reluctance. “Bruce?”

He looks at me. “What?”

I walk towards him again and stop, taking my time to ease into the topic that I've been dying to ask. “At dinner when Jason mentioned-”

Bruce knows what I'm about to ask so he gives me an annoyed look. “That wasn't Jason's to tell.”

“I don't even know what it is he's talking about... Bruce, you have a biological son?” 

“Yes...”

“With who? And how did Jason find out about it?”

He looks away from me. “With Talia... His name's Damian and he's more of an Al Ghul than a Wayne. He's already killed people and he's only nine years old. I can only assume Jason found out because he lived with the Al Ghul's for a while, but in all honesty, I didn't know he was aware of the fact. He had never mentioned it before yesterday... I don't need you or Jason judging me about it... You don't know what the situation is like.”

“Okay... But if you ever want to talk about it...” 

He gives me a side glance, but doesn't say anything else.

“Okay.” I turn and go down stairs to the kitchen.

 

That evening Alfred was cooking Tim his favorite meal for dinner after he had handled his first meal well. Dick said he would be arriving tomorrow sometime and Bruce said he wasn't able to contact Jason. I have no idea what he's up to.

Tim was to weak to get out of bed so we ate dinner in his bedroom surrounding him. We stayed up until three O'clock in the morning. Alfred and Bruce had already gone to bed when I started to get too tired to keep my eyes open, but I knew the last thing Tim wanted to do was sleep. 

“Can you believe Alfred left us alone in your bed together?” I said, grinning.

“He's really losing his parenting skills.” 

“Yeah, or he was to tired to notice.” 

“Yeah... He told me you slept in my bed a lot.” He grins down at me. 

“Well, not a lot, but sometimes. He would get really upset about it though.” 

Tim chuckles. I laid my head on his shoulder and cuddled up to him, while still trying to stay awake. “Steph, you don't have to stay up with me. I'll be here in the morning.”

“I don't want to leave you.” 

“Then don't.” I look up at him. He gave me a soft smirk. “I kinda don't want to be alone.” 

I grin and cuddle up tighter to his arm. “You'll never be alone, Tim.” I said as I start to close my eyes and give in to the drowsiness that was pulling on me. 

I was awoken by soft voices talking so I peeked my eye open. It was just starting to get light. Tim was sitting up still and my head was now on his chest. I shut my eyes fully and just listened to the soft whispers in the room. 

“They thought you shot me?” 

“Yeah,” I heard Jason's hushed voice as he tries not to wake me.

“What did you tell them?” 

“I told Bruce that I didn't.”

“And he didn't believe you? What did you do after that?” 

“Well, first, I avoided the whole family.”

“Jason.”

“What? I wasn't about to stick around until he decided I was guilty without proof... But soon after that Bruce tracked me down and tried to manipulate me. I went along with it because-... I was sure Alfred wouldn't let it get out of hand.”

I get the feeling Jason's lying about that last part. There's a long silence in the dark as the morning choir of birds chirp outside. I'm tempted to open my eyes and see why the boys are still silent.

“Steph took good care of you while you were sleeping. I hope you know how lucky you are to have a friend like her.”

“I know...” I feel both their eyes on me. “She's beautiful, isn't she?” 

“Yeah, she is... She's gorgeous...” I feel movement at the end of the bed as Jason stands to his feet. “I'm gonna go get some sleep. I'll just be down the hall if you need anything.”

“Okay, thanks... Hey, Jason?”

“Yeah?”

“You should tell them what really happened.”

There's another long silence. “Goodnight, Tim.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Talia was tagged and isn't in this series yet. But I promise, she'll be mentioned or visiting in the next few chapters. ;)


	18. The Burning Red.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After waking up from being in a coma, Tim now has new struggles to face, but he's still being left in the dark about Steph's and Jason's love affair. Meanwhile the attempt at convincing Jason to let the family help him find a cure for his illness will have to be put on hold for the moment, as a revelation unveils it's self, and tears start to rain down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~*~ means change in POV.

The next morning I awoke in Tim's bed to the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs in the kitchen. My stomach begins to growl in pain as if I haven't eaten in days. I roll out of bed, brush my hair back into a messy ponytail and put some lip-gloss on. I follow the smell down to the kitchen and push open the swing door. Jason was standing over the stove cooking with a dishtowel over his left shoulder and flipping an omelet. I walk up to him and pop my head beside him and sniff the food, Jason jumps. “Whoa, Stephanie. I didn't hear you come in.”

I grin. “Breakfast smells good.” I catch his shower fresh scent and press my nose to his shoulder and inhale. “Mmh. You smell good too.” I brush my fingers through his damp hair, then grab a piece of toast and sit up on the counter top a few feet from him. “Are we feeding an army or something?” I said while chewing my food and looking at the large variety of food set on the table.

“No, just Tim. He may be a skinny ass but he eats as much as a horse.”

“True. Good thing he's getting his appetite back...You came in really late last night. I hope you got your full two hours of sleep?”

"Yep, can't you tell by my morning glow?" he grins and then puts the omelet on a plate and hands it to me with a fork. He starts making another one. "You and Tim looked, um, cozy last night. All snuggled up together," he said teasing, but with an undertone that sounds almost like candid envy. 

I lean in and smirk. “Are you jealous?” 

“Me? No. Not at all.” he looks away from me.

I grin and grab his shirt, steering his body towards me. I part my legs so he can be close to me and rest my hands on his broad chest. “Jason Todd. You're jealous.”

“N-no... I'm not.” He said, almost convincingly. Almost.

“I think you are.” He doesn't deny it again so I drift up to his lips. “You don't need to be... Tim will always be a better guy than you.” I grinned.

He starts to smirk. “You're a jerk.”

“I learned from the best.” I wrap my arms around his ribs and reach down with one hand, grabbing his ass as I pull him in for a kiss. We both close our eyes as we take the kiss slow at first then teasing each other with tongue. I scoot to the end of the counter and hug him with my legs. He places a hand on the counter while he leans in and over me. The kiss gets more intense.

I start to smell something burning and think 'screw it, this is so worth burning a stupid omelet', but then we both hear it burst into flame. I gasp and Jason races to it as the kitchen rapidly becomes engulfed in smoke. He tries to put the flame out while I cover my mouth and start coughing.

Alfred comes racing in. “What in the world!”

“Don't worry, I got it under control!” he burns his hand. “Ow!”

I take a tray and start fanning it through the air before the smoke alarms go off.

“I knew better than to leave any member of this family alone in the kitchen. And yet there I went leaving you in charge.” Alfred opens a window as Jason finally suffocates the last of the flame. Alfred looks back at us and stares for a moment and then puts his hands on his hips. “Honestly. Do you two not have any restraint?”

We're both confused as to what he's talking about but then I see my pink lip gloss smeared across Jason's upper lip. I put my hand to my mouth to check myself and Jason is trying to resist the bitch-face as he rubs it off his lip. 

“You two should be more careful. I will personally hold it against both of you if Master Timothy walks in on you.” Jason and I look at each other. I read his expression of guilt as he reads mine. “Now both of you get out of my kitchen.”

 

After breakfast everyone helped in taking care of Tim all day. I finally left his bedside to give myself a long and well deserved, hot bath. Being a pregnant baby mama is harder than it seems. Plus, I figured between Alfred and Jason, Tim would be well taken care of. Actually, he might even be endangered of being pampered to death by the two of them. 

After my bubble bath, I get dress and walk back into Tim's room to see Jason on the ground screwing in one last nail into the parallel walking rails for Tim. He gets to his feet and tries out the railing, carrying his entire body weight down the length until he reaches the other end of the rails, then lifts his body up into the air doing a handstand. His feet go flat against the ceiling while Tim watches. 

"You know Alfred's going to kill you if he sees footprints on the ceiling, right?" 

“Well if he doesn't notice for awhile, he'll probably think it's from you... since it's your room.”

“We don't even wear the same size shoe, and I'm not tall enough to reach the ceiling. Besides, what makes you think I'm not going to tattle?” Tim said, sorta cranky sounding.

Jason does a handstand push-up on the railing and then puts his feet down on solid ground. “There you go, Tim. It's nice and sturdy. You ready to try it out?”

“I don't really feel like it. Maybe later.”

"Come on. You got to push yourself." He pulls him out of bed and walks him to the rails then waits until he has his balance before letting go. Tim sighs in frustration as Jason walks backward between the two rails until he's at the opposite end, then claps his hands together as if he were calling a baby or a dog. "Alright, Tim. You can do it!" 

“I'm not an infant. These rails aren't even necessary. I can walk without them.”

“Yeah, you tried already and you fell. Come on. Once you regain your strength back I'll let you walk without the railing.”

I smirk and walk in the room. Both boys look at me. “Jason, if he doesn't want to use them then don't make him.”

“Steph, if he didn't need them he could walk away from them on his own.” We both look back at Tim only to see him struggling to hold himself up. He's about to collapse when Jason races to him and grabs him, holding him against his chest. “Gotcha.” Tim starts whimpering. Jason tries to get a look at his face. “Are you okay?”

Tim nods as he tries to resist his emotions.

"Set him on the bed," I said. 

He nods and sweeps Tim up in his arms and carries him to the bed. “I don't need you to carry me!” Tim said, while flailing his legs around, hoping to get free from Jason's arms.

Jason sets him down as I sit next to him on the other side. "I'm just trying to help." 

“I didn't ask for your help, Jason!”

Jason and I exchange a look, both wondering why he's so irritable. “Okay... I'll wait for you to ask me next time.”

Tim doesn't look at either of us and remains in a pouting face expression. I don't think I've ever seen Tim this moody before. Could he really be suffering from a hurt ego at his helplessness? Or is it something else?

“Well, I got to go.” Jason stands up. “Bruce and I need to work on our romantic relationship. But if you need anything else just let me know.” he pushes Tim’s cell phone into his reach.

“Don't get into too much trouble.” I teased.

“I never do.”

“Yeah, right.”

He smirks. "See you, guys." He walks out of the room leaving Tim and me alone. 

Tim sighs. “Sorry, Steph. I don't mean to be so crabby, it's just... he's babying me nonstop. Like all day, he's been literally carrying me around the manor in his arms. And then asking me, if 'I' want him to carry me through the garden so we can 'enjoy the flowers'.”

I grin. "Well, it could be worse. He could not have come to see you at all." 

“You're right... I should be grateful that he cares. I guess I'm just feeling really... frustrated. My body is so weak, and I lost four months of my life... It's just a lot to process. A lot I missed and I don't know if I can catch up.”

“I know, Tim.” I place my hand on his. “Nobody is rushing you. But I'll update you as much as I can.”

“Thanks...You and Jason seem like friends now. That's new.”

My heart starts pounding in my chest. I knew this day would come, but I didn't think I would be this rattled by it.

He notices my guilty look. “What?”

"N-nothing," I said, nervously but I'm rescued when Alfred comes in taking Tim's attention off me. 

“Master Timothy. Master Richard will be here soon to see you. Might I run you a hot bath?”

“No. I'm fine, Alfred.”

"Well, I would think you would want to. You've only had dry baths for a few months now." 

“In other words, Tim. You stink.” I said, grinning.

He sniffs his underarm. “Oh... Yeah, I guess I will. Thanks.”

“I hope you won't find it intrusive that I supervise you? I will respect your modesty. But I must make sure you don't drown.”

“Alfred, I don't need your help. I can bathe myself just fine. It's not like I'm paralyzed.”

“Yes, but Master Bruce asked me to supervise you.”

I get off the bed. “I’ll leave you boys to it.”

 

I head down the stairs and hear Bruce talking to another familiar voice. I race to the main living room. “It can't be.” I walk around the corner to see Dick grinning and Bruce smirking at me from his seat by the fire place.

“Well, well, well. Stephanie's living in the manor again. I heard the cats out of the bag?”

I narrow my eyes on him while grinning. “Yeah. You're the one who let it out, tattletale.”

“Just doing what any big brother would do. Are you still mad at me?”

I cross my arms. “A little, but I'll get over it. The only good thing that came out of it is watching Bruce squirm every time I mention my 'sex' life.”

Bruce starts to look uncomfortable then clears his throat. “Well, I'll let you two... make up.” he leaves in a hurry.

Dick looks back at me with a cheeky grin. “You're learning.”

I walk up to him and give a big hug. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.” he pulls away from the hug to look at me. “I saw Jason just a minute ago.”

“uh-oh.”

“He was actually... in a good mood for a change.”

“Wow.” I grin, feeling really happy that Jason is happy.

“Yeah. I guess having Tim back has really lifted the guilt off his conscience.” he said, taking me by surprise with his condemnation which instantly puts me in defense.

“Well, you should ask Tim what the story is before passing judgment.”

Dick is silent, as we both start to feel the tension in the room grow thicker. “I'll do that...”

I remain silent, sorta wishing I could take it back or at least have toned it down a little.

“You're different, you know?... Or has this always been you?” he starts to leave. “I'll see ya around.”

“Dick?” he looks back at me. “I... I love him... And it's hard when somebody else I love, doesn't.”

He looks down thoughtfully. “I guess I get that... I’m sorry... But you guys need to tell Tim. He deserves to know, no matter what Bruce says.”

“What makes you think Bruce mentioned anything?”

“It's Bruce... I know his game.”

"He did have a good point, though. And I agree. It's best to wait until Tim's better." 

“Do you honestly believe that? Or is that your guilt talking?”

I try not to look him in the eyes while questioning myself. Maybe it is my guilt.

“You know Tim's in love with you, right?” Dick's words make my heart skip a beat and the air escapes my lungs. “He always has been.”

“How did-?”

"He asked me for girl advice once. And the girl he described sounded like you." 

I felt my chin quivering. “I will tell him... When the times right...” 

“Just don't wait too long. He might find out another way and be crushed even more that you weren't honest with him.” He starts to turn away, but then he stops and looks back. “Unless you have another alternative such as breaking it off with Jason?... Which might not be a bad thing.” I roll my eyes, trying not to lose my temper with him. “I know you don't want to see it. But he's a dangerous guy, Steph. He's done a lot of bad things.” he watches as I start to cry silent and bitter tears. “My point is... you should keep your options open. Don't settle for the first guy who swept you off your feet.”

“What makes you think Jason's the first?... He's definitely not. You don't know what I've been through in my life, Dick. I've dated a lot of bad guys... And Jason—He's a good guy.” We keep our eyes locked on each other as he reluctantly remains silent.

Bruce calls Dick's name from the other room. “I'm going to go see what Bruce wants and then say 'hi' to Tim.”

“Okay...” I brush my fingers through my hair as he walks away. I sit down for a minute as I start to get a really bad stress headache.

Once I recover from the stress I go upstairs to Tim's room. Dick and Jason were there talking, they both look at me as I enter. Judging by the looks on their faces something is definitely up. That something probably being a worried older brother threatening his sister's boyfriend. I know Jason isn't afraid of Dick when it comes to fighting him, but maybe Dick really does have something on Jason that will strain our relationship. Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it. "What are you boys talking about?" 

“Nothing.” They said at the same time then looked at each other as if they're having a psychic conversation.

Alfred opens the bathroom door and shuts it quickly behind himself. “Master Timothy refuses to let me assist him any further. So I'm letting him do it himself.”

"Well, you can't force him, Alf. Makes you wonder, though—How did he get to be so bullheaded so young?" Dick settles his eyes on Jason, who in turn rolls his eyes. Man, Dick is really protective. He doesn't even approve of Tim hanging out with Jason either. 

"Comes with age, I suppose," Alfred said, as he straightens his suit jacket. 

We hear a loud splash in the bathroom followed by a loud thump. We glance at each other and then race to the bathroom door, only to discover it's locked. Jason and Dick both knock on it frantically. “Tim? Tim!”

Dick knocks one more time but Jason is already standing back and kicks the lock, breaking the door open. They both race through the doorway. Alfred hollers in fear when the pink tinted bathwater catches our eye and Tim is laying face down in it. Jason steps a booted foot in the tub as he reaches down and pulls Tim's naked body out of the water, his own clothing being soaked through. He then lays him on the bathroom floor. I can already see blood dripping down Tim's face from a head wound, of all places, while Dick checks to see if he's breathing.

"Oh my god, he's not breathing!" Dick's voice his full of fear and he visibly starts shaking. I've seen him in really stressful situations before, but this is the most terrified I have ever seen him. He shakily starts to plug Tim's nose as though to start mouth-to-mouth but Jason pushes him back and sticks his fingers down Tim's throat to clear the passageway, then he starts chest compressions. Dick runs his fingers through his hair and pulls it while he keeps count to help in any way he can. "That's thirty." 

Jason plugs Tim’s nose and tilts his head back and puts his lips to his and breathes two breaths into his lungs, then starts chest compression again for another thirty times. The more seconds that go by, the scary this situation gets, but Jason still remains fairly calm. Alfred grabbed hold of my hand and when I see the look on his face I know he's blaming himself, but I'm still in denial that this is even real.

"This can't be happening," I mumble. 

Jason heard me and glances up at me then returns his concentration on resuscitating Tim. He mumbles to Dick while doing chest compression then yells in frustration. “Hurry!”

Dick is racing out of the room. “Steph!” he signals for me to go with him. We make it to the door when something catches my attention and I look back to see Jason pulling his lips away from Tim's while water spurts out from his mouth, hitting Jason's lips. Jason rolls him to his side immediately as more water drains from his lungs. Dick and I drop down next to him.

After a few seconds, Dick takes over for Jason and monitors Tim's pulse while Jason leans back to catch his breath. He reaches back behind him and grabs the towel off the side of the bathtub and puts it over Tim's lower half. As much as I tried not to look, I shamefully admit I caught a glimpse of his nakedness. Tim becomes more alert and looks around at everyone in the room then tries to sit up as Dick assists him. "You're okay, buddy. You're okay." Dick said, in a gentle comforting voice while he examines his head injury and tears fill his eyes. "It's not bad. It won't even leave a scar... You okay?" 

Tim nods. “Yeah.”

"You got to be more careful, kid," Jason said, with the slightest irritation. 

“Master Timothy, I am so sor-” Alfred was interrupted by Jason.

"Alfred, Stop! You didn't do this," he said, surprising everyone with his anger. He looks back at Tim. "I know this is hard for you, but it's hard for all of us. You're lucky we were just in the other room and heard the commotion. Otherwise, you would be dead right now, and Alfred would probably die of guilt." 

Tim looks away from him, but he grabs his chin and forces him to look and except the truth. "I'm not kidding. It's not just for your well being, it's for everyone else's... I know it's hard feeling helpless, Tim, but you need the help! So pull your head out of your ass and let us help you!" 

“Jason.” Dick said, in a quiet voice. “Ease up on the kid.”

He sighs loudly then heeds Dick's advice and remains silent.

“I'm sorry, Alfred.” Tim said, surprising us all. He didn't look like he was listening to anything Jason had said.

“It's... It's alright.” he said, almost breaking into tears again.

Tim looks at me and pulls his towel up higher. Dick noticed and then looks at Alfred and I. “Why don't you two go and try to relax in the other room. Me and Jason will help him get cleaned up.” 

“Okay.” I look at Tim one more time then grab Alfred's arm and escort him out of the bathroom and to a seat on the bed. He's still shaking slightly and frowning. “Alfred, nobody is blaming you. Tim's not even blaming you. You can't blame yourself.”

“But... I should have stood my ground. He refused to bathe with me there. So I... I just-” he starts to cry so I place a gentle kiss on his temple to comfort him.

“Any of us could have made that same decision.”

After that incident, Tim was more cooperative but he still didn't like it when he was carried around by Jason or Bruce, but he stopped complaining about it. Bruce was very upset when he heard about the second head injury and near death. So he called for a family meeting and laid down the law. He said Tim was no longer allowed to be left alone, ever, even to take a shit. Which brought tears to Tim's eyes. He begged and pleaded but Bruce said 'no' in an unwavering tone. Dick tried to comfort him by saying that 'he didn't mind at all'. And Jason said, 'Don't worry, Tim. I once had the entire league of assassins see me naked for a few hours.' Both of which did make Tim feel a little better. 

A couple days went by and Jason and I kept our distance from each other. We didn't even have the time to discuss it, but we both ended up doing it. We made sure never to stand too close to one another, or talk too friendly, hoping to avoid waking Tim's suspicion. Sometimes we would find somewhere private and try to satisfy our itch, aggressively trying to make up for our lack of contact (of any form). But as luck would have it, we would get interrupted, usually by Dick. It's almost like he could sense when we were about to have sex and show up at the right place and then ask us what we were doing. So Jason and I had to part ways and live with our horniness for a couple weeks.

Tim started to regain some of his strength during that time and was able to walk using the rails and then graduated to using crutches. But he still needed supervision until we are confident he doesn't. Meanwhile, Jason had to leave to go deal with some vigilante stuff, so I took over in taking care of Tim. 

It was late at night and I guided him out onto the balcony for some fresh air. He grabs hold of the balcony railing and looks up at the night sky. I glance at the place, distracted by the old memories of the last time I stepped foot on Tim's balcony: that thrilling and dangerous first-time when I was making love with Jason. I feel a shiver run down my spine just from replaying the sexy memories. I exhale loudly. 

Tim interrupts my reminiscence while he gazes out over the Manor's landscape, lightened by the full moon. "Being in that coma for nearly four months—It really got me thinking about my priorities in life..." He said as a soft grin came across his face. 

“Yeah, I bet...”

“Steph...” he said, turning to me, but he hesitates a moment to speak. “Steph, I-I... You... are my priority.”

I'm taken by surprise by his words, and the stars that glimmer in his eyes assure me he's not talking about our friendship. I look away from him shyly. It wasn't the reaction he was looking for so he looks down at his feet and then back at me. He places a hand on mine and looks into my eyes as if he were gazing through the gates of heaven.

I look away from him again. "And you're mine," I said, in a way to brush it off as mutual friendship, but his eyes become full of hope so I reinforce my meaning by pulling my hand out from under his and patting the top of it. "You're my best friend, Tim. My Friend always and forever." 

“Oh...Yeah.” he nods, with disappointment and everything becomes deathly silent.

I keep glancing at him waiting for him to say something. Anything. But he doesn't. He just gazes out like his world just ended. My heart starts throbbing with guilt and sorrow. This is the worse feeling ever. People always make love triangles sound as if they are romantic, but in reality they are horrible and painful. I exhale my sorrow quietly then lean in and kiss his cheek. He closes his eyes and slowly turns his lips towards the kiss, but I pull away before he gets to close to my lips and then smile innocently.

“We should go back in. It's getting chilly out here.” I start heading back inside, forgetting my responsibility to walk him back.

He took a deep breath. “Steph.” He said, in one volume too loud.

I turn back around as he breaths heavily with anxiety and an expression of furrowed brows. He walks towards me with his crutch. “I mean... You are my priority for more than just a friend... I want always and forever... as something more than friends, because-” he said, stopping a foot from me. “Because... I love you, Stephanie Brown. More than anything.” he starts to cry.

"Tim~" I said, as my eyes water with love, sympathy, and grief. 

His chin quivered and then he leans in and kisses me, long, hard and passionately. I would have gasped if it weren't for his lips so locked onto mine. He brushes a hand against my cheek and parts his lips to go deeper and taste the inside of my mouth, and for some reason I let him. I can almost taste his testosterone, it's good, but it's not as 'heavy' of a taste as Jason's kiss. He causes a slight section, it's sweet but my heart breaks in my chest for him. I pull away with tears flooding my eyes. He looks humiliated and pained when he sees my expression.

"Tim... I can't... I'm so sorry. Things are just... Things are complicated." I run past him and into the manor and to one of the guest bedrooms where he probably won't find me. I sat down in the corner and sobbed for about twenty minutes. I want to tell him everything, about how I feel about Jason, our plan to get married, and most importantly about the baby, but I can't bear to tell him the truth. I can't bear to see the look in his eyes when I hurt him more than I just did now. 

~*~

That night Jason comes home from a vigilante task. He goes to check on Tim, but he wasn't in his bed. He was still on his balcony, staring out at the night sky. Jason goes to the balcony doorway, waiting for Tim to notice him. He leans against the frame and crosses his arms and looks up at the stars too. “It's a nice night.”

Tim looks at him, with his eyes puffy from crying. Jason stands up straight and walks around to the front of Tim to get a better look. “What's wrong?... You've been crying?”

“I kissed her, Jason.” he said, as tears filled his eyes again.

“What?”

“I kissed Stephanie.”

Jason stood there, carefully aware not to show his feelings on the matter. He turns away from Tim slowly, mostly because he's stunned by this information, but also trying to resist the possessiveness that is raging an inner turmoil. He leans on the balcony rails and looks over.

“I kissed her and then she started crying.”

Jason looks back at him, listening intently.

"And she ran off and hid from me... I should never have told her how I feel. She doesn't love me. But she doesn't want to hurt me. So she runs away and says she's sorry." he said, as his face gets moist again from crying. Jason leans against the railing, crossing his arms and breathing deeply trying to get a grip of himself and hide his own feelings on the matter. 

"I know why, though." 

Jason's eyes widen, but Tim didn't notice. He quickly snaps out of it.

“There's another guy.”

Jason swallows and speaks calmly. “Why do you think that?”

"Because Dick mentioned it... Well, he implied she was seeing someone while I was sleeping." 

Jason clenched his fist and then sighed trying to relieve his vexation at the nosy blabber mouth also known as Dick Grayson.

Tim didn't catch his distress and continues to stare off at the view. “I asked him what he meant, but he wouldn't tell me... I wish she would just be honest with me.” He shook his head and then looked at Jason. “I just... I love her so much, Jason... I wanted it so bad and now I've probably ruined our friendship forever. I knew she wasn't going to like me. I know what kind of guy she picks every time. She's probably head-over-heels for some hot badass. And I definitely don't fit into that category.”

Out of his sense of guilt, he feels compelled to comfort him. “Tim... I'm sure you didn't ruin the relationship. If Steph is a real friend, she'll stick around...” He gets no response so he takes it a step further. “Plus, there are a lot of qualities you have that she would adore, romantically speaking.” he frowns at his own words, wondering why the hell he said that.”Not that I'm saying you guys should be romantic. Because I'm definitely n-”

“Wrong! She wants that guy that can literally sweep her off her feet. Not the guy that is only an inch taller than her... I'm talking about me by the way.”

“Yeah... I caught that.”

Tim looked off at the view and shook his head as his chin quivered again. “I bet he's full of adventure. Handsome. And probably has a really bad attitude...” he looks at Jason, “Actually, she might even be dating you for all I know.”

Jason's eyes grow wide and then he shifts his position nervously and tugs at the collar of his shirt like it's choking him. “Listen, Tim-”

"Don't even bother, Jason. Your attempt to comfort me will only postpone the inevitable and give me false hope. I know she will never be with me. Not while there's some handsome devil in her life... I-... I just wish I could be that guy she wants. You know?... Be true to me and be the good guy who 'also' gets the girl." 

His words strike a nerve with Jason. “Um... There's someone... for everyone...?”

Tim looks at him and sniffs his running nose. “Anyone ever tell you, you're terrible at comforting people?”

"Yeah... I tried, though. Sorry." 

“It's okay.” Tim's voice shakes.

“What do you want me to do, Tim?”

“There's nothing you can do. She has her eyes on someone else... You know, I'm so desperate right now that I feel like if I knew who it was I would go and kick the shit out of him. Civilian or not. And then tell him to stay away from her... It's psychotic that I feel this way, this much aggression. But I can't help it.”

“It's love... It can make people crazy.” Tim blows his nose in a tissue and starts crying more. Jason looks away from him, not able to watch him suffering any longer. He thinks through carefully what to say then turns back to face him. “Tim?... I know who the guy is.” 

He turns towards Jason in his seat. “You do? Who?”

Jason waits a few moments as he stares at the weepy-faced teenager. 

“Is he hot? He's probably really hot.”

Jason’s stares motionless at Tim as he starts rambling on.

"I bet he's an athlete. Really, really athletic. Maybe he's even rich, probably has his own empire of wealth. A billionaire from Metropolis. Or maybe he's some sassy ass guy with the body of a god. Yeah. Definitely... He probably treats her badly too, but she doesn't even care because he's sexy." 

Jason starts scowling, hoping he doesn't fall into that last category.

“Yeah. I bet she just goes on and on with her girlfriends about her sexual satisfaction with this guy.”

Jason's brows furrow even more, horrified at the thought of Stephanie sharing the intimate moments they had together with her friends. His lip curls up as Tim's theory starts to sound believable.

“What?” Tim asks taking notice to Jason's clinched teeth and tense expression.

“Huh?”

“Oh, god. I'm right. He's probably everything I said and more. He probably jumps out of airplanes and rides motorcycles for fun." he starts whining. 

Jason starts to feel both flattered and insulted by Tim's perceptiveness. "Um... No. No. I don't know about any of that... but... Tim..." he said, as Tim turns his full attention to him again. He takes a deep breath. "Tim..." Their eyes remain locked on each other for a few moments as Jason works up the nerve. "Tim..." He said, again with a deeper and more confident voice as his mind is finally made up. "The guy is a total tool. And... Stephanie thinks she's in love with him... It's probably only a matter of time before she realizes what an idiot she's being and she'll move on." 

“Who is he, Jason? Tell me.”

“It doesn't matter.”

“It does. I have to know.” his chin quivers again in his anguish.

“Tim...” Jason's heart starts to throb in pain at the sight of Tim's brokenness over Stephanie's unrequited love.

Tim studied his grief stricken face and then shakes his head and closes his eyes grieved by what he realizes. "I should have picked up on it sooner." 

“What?”

“It's you... and her... You're a couple.”

Jason is shocked and then sighs anxiously. “Listen, Tim-”

“No! Don't lie to me!” he rises to his feet as his tears turn bitter with rage and he nearly topples over from his weakness. “I should have guessed sooner that she'd be attracted to you! You're are everything she likes!... But I guess I didn't think that after 'everything' I did for 'you'... that YOU would let it happen!”

Jason feels the pains of guilt, eating at him like termites. “It wasn't like that.”

Tim looks to the side as though he's not listening anymore. “And then Alfred mentioned you two tried to find the guy who shot me... Together!... Oh, I saw the signs, but I was in denial!”

“Tim... Me and Steph... We aren’t-”

“Stop denying it!” Tim pointed his finger at him, “I 'defended' you countless times, Jason! When no one else did! I told her stories to honor your memory! And I knew even then, in the back of my mind-...” he catches his breath for a second. “I feared what would happen if she ever met you. I started to wish she wouldn't because I knew she'd like you... And then... she met you... and you saved her life... After that... when she stared starstruck at a photo of you, I knew she was attracted to you... But I didn't think 'you' would do that to me.”

“Tim, we-... I-... um-” he stumbles over his words searching for the right thing to say that will end this conversation in a happy ending for everyone, but Tim interrupts in anger.

“Stop! I already know what kind of man she chooses every time! It's not the skinny, short, geek who always tries to stay out of trouble. That really cautious guy who's always writing her love letters in his diary.” his voice broke, and Jason tries not to be distracted by the fact that Tim calls his journal a diary. “Because that 'geek' was never brave enough to tell her how he really felt... Never once have I seen her attracted to 'that' guy... That guy, like me.”

“Tim.” Jason's eyes are absent of tears but his voice is suppressing his cry.

"It's okay, Jason..." he suddenly becomes calm. "We can't always help who we love... But how could you?... You knew that I- that I-..." Tim closes his eyes and tilts his head down. He waits for a moment in his grief, but he doesn't need to finish his sentence because Jason knows. He is stricken with guilt like never experienced before because Tim was the only person who was ever nice to him. And he really did betray him. 

“I'm sorry, Tim... for what I did... It was selfish and wrong... But you can't hold it against Steph.”  
Tim looks up at him. “It was all my idea... I pursued her because I knew she liked me and-”

Tim's face was changing from sad and defeated to confused.

“I saw an opportunity and thought—Why not take it?” Jason said, turning away from Tim and looking over the balcony.

Tim was hyped up with stress at where this conversation was going. “What are you talking about, Jason?”

“What do you think?” he turns back to face him. “What happened between me and Steph... It was a fling. That's all. Just a game I like to play with naive girls.” he said, with a sly smirk. His entire demeanor changing to a more callused tone as he crosses his arms and leans up against the railing.

“What?”

“I was just being a guy, Tim. I saw my opportunity and I took it. I never thought you would find out about it.”

Tim's frown was growing deeper with a mix of confusion, disbelief, and disgust. "What?!" 

"Do I need to spell it out to you? I just wanted to get in her pants. I didn't think you'd mind, you know? Since you guys weren't together. And you were in a coma until inevitably... But I'm done having my fun with her so... if you still want her—It's cool with me." 

Tim was on the verge of losing his temper. Jason waits for his reaction and when it doesn't come he continues. “But to be fair. You shouldn't hold any of it against her. Like you said, she just couldn't resist all my charming qualities.” he said, with a smug look. “But uh, are we still cool?”

Tim's nostrils flare and he starts shaking with rage and balls his fist then punches Jason in the face as hard as he can, causing him to tumble to the ground. Jason wipes the gushing blood from his nose and then looks back up at Tim, slightly shocked by his strength.

“You, Bastard! You stay away from her, Jason! Or you'll be sorry!” he turns around and storms out of the room on his crutches. Leaving Jason on the ground and all alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this chapter leave a kudoe or a comment. :) Let me know what you liked most about it, and how it made you feel.


	19. How to be an asshole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Tim tries to make a plan to defeat Jason and win the girl of his dreams back, he also finds a pleasant surprise of being surrounded by allies. Meanwhile, someone figures out that Stephanie is pregnant. And Jason, as usual, makes a mess of things while trying to make his own complex game plan... Question is, who exactly is Jason rooting for?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter shows the flaws of many characters. If you don't want to see your fav being an asshole, then you probably should wait for the next chapter which will be posted soon.  
> I also want to apologize for the very long delay in getting this chapter up. I've had a lot of personal things going on in my life and couldn't find the time or concentration to edit so I just decided to take a chance and post it. I hope you will still enjoy! :)

What do you do when you awake from comatose only to find that the brother you trusted, that everyone told you not to trust, is sleeping with your girl? The same girl that you've had a crush on since the day you met her, but you never found the courage to actually tell her how you feel. What do you do when you feel like life dealt you the raw end of a deal and there's only one man to directly blame? I know what I would do. I would have pushed him off the balcony he stood on the moment he turned his back, but that's not what Tim did. He just gave me a bloody nose.

The betrayal I did to him is unforgivable. I probably shouldn't have confessed the truth when he asked for it, but whether it was through his skills of observation, a gut feeling, or a snitch who likes to pounce around on rooftops at night wearing black and blue spandex. Either way, Tim was hot on my heals and when he suspects something he investigates until he finds solid proof, and he always finds proof. So, I figured I might as well try to control the collateral damage as much as possible by coming clean and then redirecting his anger. Yeah, it was the ugly thing to do but I'm hoping in the long-run it will work out in both Tim and Stephanie's favor. 

Just before Tim had awoken from comatose, I proposed to Stephanie. It wasn't anything fancy, I didn't even have the ring and the timing wasn't in the least bit romantic, but she still said yes. I had a plan to settle down somewhere far from Gotham and start a life with her until death does us apart. But with the things I've done, it's all clear to me now that peace will be impossible to obtain before I die.

I sit in the dark of my bedroom at Wayne manor, where I can still hear the ticking sound of the grandfather clock. That elusive man-made noise that reminds me that I'm losing time, and time is of the essence. I'm growing restless. I'm not used to standing still for so long, but Steph hasn't noticed. She's been worrying about my health problems and Tim's well-being that she hasn't even noticed how anxious I've become. I could always tell her the truth about what I've done, all the lies I've spun, but in doing that I'm putting myself at high risk of losing her. If I choose to stay I can try to hide it from her, but that's putting her innocent life at risk. I can't do that. I'll set fire to all of Gotham before risking her life for my sins. 

All I know for certain is that the best thing I can do for Tim is leave and let him possibly find love with the woman of his dreams. And the worst thing I could do to Steph is to stay with her and inevitably find ourselves unhappily married, and heaven forbids, we bring children into the mix. With my genes and me as the example of what a 'good man' should look like. I'll just as soon find myself being the root of all my kid's problems, the way my father was the root of all mine, only I am a far worst man than my father. How do I tell her that's not what I want for her? She can't possibly understand what I foresee. Yes, I could stay in Gotham or any city I choose, grasping tightly to my secrets waiting for them to catch up with me, and then be murdered, leaving Stephanie to raise our problematic kid all by herself. The only other and far worst alternative is somehow, someway I get her and our children killed.

I'll never be good enough for her, I know that. And because I love her, I know what I need to do, but I'm too selfish to actually do it. I already find myself scheming to undo what I've just set in motion. I'm the happiest I've been since coming back from the dead and it's all credited to Stephanie for simply being a part of my life. She's that soft glow of a full moon in my dark world and I don't want to live without her. 

What's the right thing to do in this situation? Am I to give up the woman I love? Do I give her a truthful explanation? Or do I wait until she least expects it then vanish into nonexistence, but with a hope of our love still being intact? I don't want to give her up. I want to be happy like everyone else and some delusional part of me thinks I deserve to be. 

Some half hour ago, after my spontaneous confession, I went to my room and stared at the wall contemplating how to undo what I've done. My shirt becomes weighed down with the wetness of blood. The ticking of the clock grows louder with an unknown source of urgency rising in me. I look at the time reading 0336 hours. I slowly take off my bloody shirt, careful not to irritate my aching body any more than it already is, then I toss the shirt into the trash. I wash my face and grab a hand towel attempting to stop the gushing blood that drips down my lips and chin. I'm able to slow the bleeding after a few minutes. A hot bath might also help relieve my aches and pains and bring my rapidly dropping body temperature back up. So, I turn the tub faucet on, filling it up with as hot of water as it can give. I sit on the edge of the tub and start taking off my shoes when I hear a knock on my bedroom door. I walk towards the door and open it a few inches. I'm surprised to see Stephanie standing outside in her pj's. I was half expecting, and hoping, it would be Tim coming back to finish what he started. “Steph?”

“Hope I didn't wake you?” 

“It's me you're talking about. You didn't wake me.” 

“Good...” 

I wait for her to tell me her reason for coming to my room at this hour of the night but she remains silent. “Is there something you wanted?” She looks surprised by the question and unintentionally gives away her motives. If there is one thing I've learned about Steph it's that she tries to get into my pants even more than I try to get into hers. I do appreciate her enthusiasm, and it's something I would normally welcome but I can't let that happen tonight. Guess you could say, my hearts just not in it.

She frowns with hint of confusion. “Um... I was just-... letting you know that I might not be at the manor tomorrow. I think I need some time for myself.” 

“Okay...” she looks like she's expecting something else from me. “Well, uh, have fun.” 

“I'll try.” She watches me for another moment prolonging our discomfort, and to make matters worst I suddenly feel blood trickling down from my nose again. I try to close the door before she notices but her eyes are sharp even in the dim light and she puts her hand against the door to stop it from closing. “Are you bleeding?” 

I reach up to stop the blood as she tries to remove my hand to get a better look, causing some of the blood I had held at bay to sprinkle down onto my bare chest. I grab the hand towel and wipe the blood away from my face. “It was just a rough night. I'll be fine tomorrow.” I said quickly, trying to defuse her concern before she makes a mountain out of an ant mound. 

“Was it really just a rough night? Or is it your illness?” She tries to push her way into my room but I push back, not daring to let her in.

“It was just a rough night... Really... I promise.” I wipe my face clean and pull the rag away then smile softly. I lean in and kiss her cheek. Her eyes are now sparkling full of desire. She stands on her toes and tries to kiss me on the lips but I'm not about to indulge her, I know we'll get carried away and I'll regret it in the morning. I stand taller to make it harder for her lips to meet mine. She closes her eyes, still drifting in for a kiss. She either doesn't catch my subtle resistance or she doesn't care. I whisper a few inches from her puckered lips. “It's late... And I'm tired.” 

Her eyes open and she starts to blush. “Oh... Um... Okay.” 

We remain silent for another moment, then I nod absentmindedly as I take a step back and start to shut the door. “Goodnight.”

“Yeah, goo-” I shut the door before she finishes her sentence. “... night.”

~*~

I didn't sleep at all that night, and before I knew it the dawn was bringing light to the dark. I get out of bed before any of the boys would be up as my desperate attempt to avoid running into Tim, or even Jason. His rejection last night stung particularly badly because right now all I want is to be with him, to be comforted, and for him to remind me that us being a couple is the right thing. I need him right now but for some reason, he's not here. 

I throw my pj's off to the side and put my favorite pair of skinny jeans on. I pull my shirt over my head and turn to look at my figure in the mirror from the side. I pull my shirt up and relax, and for the first time, I'm able to see how evident my pregnancy is starting to become. I rub my hands below my belly button and take a deep breath. I'm really having a baby and I have no idea what I'm going to do about it. I think it's well past time I tell someone, and right now I doubt that someone is going to be Jason. I pack my bag and sneak out of the Manor to meet up with some old friends from high school. 

It was nice getting to spend some time with other girls. I didn't realize how exhausting it's been being around testosterone-crazed men all the time. Especially when they are emotionally constipated men, like so many of them are in that group. Hanging out with girls was stress relieving. Between the lighthearted talks, painting nails and facials, it was a breath of fresh air. I also got the chance to tell them everything about the secrets I'm living with. My friend Ruby changed the topic and we started talking about my sex life. I'm sure Jason wouldn't appreciate me telling my friends the details of our sexual encounters but it's not like he's ever going to know about it. Although I probably shouldn't have shown them a picture I took of him while he was sleeping and shirtless, because now they're all pressuring me into letting them meet him. Nor was I prepared to give an explanation as to why he doesn't have a social media account. 

I went home to the manor the next day and walked through the front door to a quiet house, except for two voices coming from the lounge room. I sneak towards the door and peek in to see Tim laying on the couch while his friend Conner Kent reaches into his backpack. 

“I brought you all the books you asked for.” He sets the stack of books on the coffee table and takes a step back. 

“Thanks.” Tim grabs one and flips through the pages. 

“But honestly, Tim, if you really want to get rid of this Red Hood guy, there are much quicker ways to do it.” 

I crouch down and tune in careful not to miss a thing, or draw attention to myself. 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, those books are just going to tell you what to do to look more 'appealing' in her eyes. But if you really want to get rid of him, you're gonna have to go to war.”

My mouth drops in disbelief at what Tim's friend is scheming and trying to pull my Tim into. I take another peek to see Tim looking up at Conner with that expression that says he's actually considering it. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, you said so yourself that he's practically a criminal-” 

“Yeah, well, I was trying to be nice when I said that. He's actually 'worst' than a criminal. He's a criminal mastermind.”

“Perfect!”

“What is?”

“Now I have real reasons to go beat him up. You film it and then we'll send it to Stephanie. No girl likes to see her man get beat.” Tim is silent and stares at him. “Uh, no offense, Tim.”

He sighs. “None taken... Your plan will most likely backfire, though.”

“Why do you think that?” 

“Red Hood is just as paranoid as Batman. But unlike Batman, he's not afraid to kill people who threaten him. Villain or not. You'll probably just end up underestimating him and then you'll be dead. And that will only give me more reasons to hate him.” 

“Okay... Then option two. We find his porn stash.” 

“What?!” Tim sounds just as shocked as my own thoughts. 

“All girls want their man to have eyes just for them, and some even see viewing porn as cheating. So, does he have a stash?”

“How should I know? I don't go snooping through people's personal belongings. I'm not Batman.” 

“Okay, well, you do low-key stalk people and snoop through their computer data. That's like the same thing.”

“What? I have never-!... Fine. It was a few times. And only because it was necessary.”

“I'm not judging you, Tim, but I know for a fact you've even stalked Red Hood for awhile, and that was before he stole your girl. So what's holding you back now?” Tim falls silent. “Hey, hey, I just thought of something. Maybe this Jason guy knows, and that's his reason for stealing your girl. It's payback for all those times you were stalking him.” 

“I-... I don't think he would do that. I mean like—Bruce stalks him even more than I do and he knows about it and he hasn't stolen Bruce's girl or anything.”

Conner sighs. “Tim, sometimes you are too nice for your own good. I think it's time you socket to the bullies... So, what are you waiting for? Do your magic. Find out what websites he gets on.” he hands him his laptop. Tim bites his bottom lip for a moment, then making up his mind and starts working, trying to hack all of Jason's electronics. I feel really disappointed in him, but at the same time, I'm curious as to what he'll find. 

“So if you can't find anything then-”

“-Then all of this will be a complete waste of time and I will still feel guilty for nothing.”

“No, I mean we need to discuss a plan 'B'. Plan 'B' is if he has no porn then we plant some hardcore porn in his room. And orchestrate it to where Stephanie finds it.”

“What?! Conner, we can't do that!” 

“Why not? You said so yourself he's a highly wanted criminal.” 

“Yeah, but-”

“Trust me. I know what's best for you. We will get Stephanie back... So how much money do you have?” 

“A lot. Why?” 

“Because I have a plan 'C', which is us hiring a hot pregnant lady to claim Jason's the baby-daddy?” 

I almost gasped in disgust, but I quickly cover my mouth before Tim's meta-friend hears me. Luckily Tim's reaction drowns out mine.

“What?! Conner, no! Absolutely not. We can't do that. That is too extreme.” 

“Oh, come on! Your balls may be small Tim but they ain't that small.” 

“Hey!? How the hell would you know that, Conner?!” Tim said very defensively. I almost burst out cackling. But then I start to get curious as to how his friend does know that. I suddenly feel just as disgusted as Tim. I peek around the corner again glaring.

“I'm sorry! I don't always have control over my x-ray vision. I caught a glimpse a few times.”

“Ugh! Yeah right. An accident, why do I not believe you?... You know, sometimes I wonder why we are even friends.”

“Wow, your butler's right. You're really cranky.”

“I'm not cranky!” he snaps.

“Yeah, you are. But that's okay, Tim. You've been going through a lot. I won't hold it against you. So anyways. I feel like we need to do something more extreme. Get a plan 'D' just in case 'A', 'B' and 'C' don't work out.”

“Aw, Miss Brown!” Alfred said from behind me with a cheerful greeting and the worst timing. I move away from the door and stand to my feet quickly. I can hear a swoosh of the wind in the lounge room. Conner is probably hiding all their evidence of their schemes in super speed motion. “Did you have fun with your lady friends?” 

“Yeah, it was a blast,” I said, as I walked past him sulking.

“Can I get you anything?" 

“No I'm fine.” I went up to my room and put my gym clothes on and went back downstairs to get a workout in before dinner. 

~***~

Seven O'clock Alfred called everyone down to the Dinner table, but only Jason and Dick arrived to take their seats on opposite sides of the table, neither of them saying a word for about a minute while they wait for everyone else to join them. Finally, Dick breaks the silence. “So, how are you and Stephanie doing?” 

Jason's eyes drift over to Dick as he takes his time to answer the question with a certain confidence about him. “Why do you ask?” 

“Just curious.” 

Jason rolls his eyes. 

“I just couldn't help but notice that Stephanie disappeared for thirty-something hours to have 'girl-time' with some friends. And Tim's been extra sulky. And you've been—actually now that I think about it, I have no idea what you've been up to. I know I passed you in the hall twice but other than that I have no idea what you've been doing.” Jason pours himself a glass of wine and drinks it down quickly. “So?... What have you been doing all day?” The sound of suspicion was lingering in his tone.

“Ever heard of minding your own business?” 

“I'm just trying to make family conversation.” Jason glances over at him with the slightest glimmer of disdain showing in his eyes before looking down into his drink as his desperate grasp for a distraction from the growing discomfort. “Yeah, I know what you're about to say.” 

His eyes slowly drift back up to look at him again, slightly serious when contemplating if he could get away with slicing Dick's throat with the butter knife and then hiding his body before the rest of the family arrives for dinner. 

“-You never had much of a family, or a social life for that matter. But I'm sure you've had a couple of friendly conversations in your life...” The condescendence begins to push Jason to the edge of losing all civility. He grits his teeth, feeling angry at himself for not drowning his sobriety before the family dinner. “I know for a fact you and I had a couple bonding moments once upon a time. Do you remember that?... What am I saying? Of course you do.”

“What exactly are you trying to do, Dick? An away from the family?” 

He grins sarcastically, “No, you do a fine job pushing everyone away without my help.”

A sudden noise coming from the kitchen doorway draws their attention. “Where's everyone else?” Alfred said as he joins them and takes a seat at the end of the table. 

A second later Bruce joins them and goes towards his seat. “Tim said he's not hungry.”

“Oh, that's a shame. Miss Brown said she won't be joining us this evening either. She claims to have had an 'enormous' lunch today and still isn't hungry... Although, not more than five minutes later I spied her in the pantry stuffing her mouth full of crackers. Whatever her real reasons may be, it's doubtful she will change her mind.”

Jason looks down at the table in front of him and stares at nothing in particular while he starts to meddle deep into his emotions of grief—no, guilt, that he is probably the direct and only cause of both of their absence.

“Yeah, that girl can eat as much as a horse.” 

“More like two horses nowadays,” Bruce added. “And it's showing.” Everyone frowns at him. 

“Bruce, you don't talk about a woman's weight like that! What kind of asshole are you?” Dick said. 

“Save it. Alfred already gave me the talk.”

“Then why are you still talking about it?” 

He sighs, “Relax, Dick, it's not like she's here to hear me say it.” 

The scornful look remains on his face as he shakes his head. The black and blue bruise on Jason's nose and cheek bone catches his attention. “Hey, what happened to your face?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, nothing... Some punk just got a lucky shot.” he mumbled then looked down at his food, hoping the attention will shift focus away from him.

“So, Jason.” Bruce looks at him. “I saw you've been working on your motorcycle.”

“Alfred said it was all right if I used your tools.”

“I have no problem with that. I was just trying to figure out who used the batmobile after I had hung up the cape two nights ago? It's been severely damaged on the front end.”

Jason continues to eat his food as Dick looks at him with a judgmental stare of disbelief.

“I know it wasn't Tim, I can't even get him out of bed most days. I doubt it was Stephanie, even though she is the worst driver in the family, and would probably get the wild idea to take the batmobile out for a joyride. But then again, she's been a little more than busy lately with having a lot on her mind. So, Dick is my next suspect. Though it is not unlike him to take the batmobile without my permission. It is, however, unlikely that he would not apologize after damaging it. You, on the other hand.”

“I didn't do it.” he grumbles.

"Master Bruce?-" Alfred tried to interrupt. 

“A lot of the systems are non-operational because of the damage and I don't have the time to-” 

“It was me, Master Bruce,” Alfred said, lightheartedly. Dick spits out his drink through his nostrils while Bruce and Jason look down at the other end of the table where Alfred is seated. 

“What?” 

“After you had gone off to bed, I decided to take it out for a spin. I had always dreamed about what it would be like to drive the batmobile. And since I was restless that night and Gotham didn't need you, I did just that. I am sorry I forgot to tell you about the incident.” Bruce looks at Jason searching for a sign of guilt. But as usual, Jason remains 'hard to read'. “I do apologize, Sir.” 

“Uh... That's all right, Alfred... I'll just use one of the old ones until I get the time to fix it.” 

The rest of the meal was particularly quiet. Dick lead the conversation on every topic, and if more than thirty seconds of silence went by he would then find something else to talk about. 

Jason stops eating and stares down at the plate before him, not listening to the boring conversation anymore. He starts feeling nauseous so he interrupts to excuse himself. “Well, I'm full. Guess I'll just go do nothing of consequences with the rest of my life,” he said in a gloomy voice and rises to his feet to leave. 

“What a ray of sunshine he is, Bruce. It's funny the first thought you had when you met him was to make him Robin... You know--since I created the image of Robin.”

Jason goes to the nearest bathroom and shuts the door. He washes his face with cold water, trying to resist the sick feeling rising up his throat. He falls to his knees in front of the toilet and hurls his dinner up then spits the taste out of his mouth. He flushes the toilet and waits for nausea to pass before standing up and rinsing his mouth out in the sink. His sickly pale complexion grabs his attention as he looks up into the mirror examining the dark circles under his eyes. He suddenly feels sick again and leans down over the sink and hurls. A deep red color fills the sink before having time to drain. He now sees that the contents of his vomit are mostly blood. His mouth gapes open as blood and saliva drip from his lips. He tries to rinse away the evidence that had splattered in and around the counter tops. His heart skips a beat when he hears a knock on the bathroom door. “Can't you use one of the other twenty bathrooms?” he hisses. 

The person outside the door remains silent. Jason leans forward trying to resist the urge but he hurls up blood once more, then rinses his mouth out again. He starts to lose his vision, and he stands up straight as his eyes roll to the back of his head and he falls to the floor. 

He becomes conscious and for a moment he is confused as to what time and place he is in his life. He sits up slowly and looks around, once he becomes aware of what happened he gasps and looks at his watch, then sighs when he sees he only lost twenty minutes. He gets back on his feet and refreshes his breath with mouthwash and then heads down the hall and into the kitchen to find Alfred doing the dishes. “Alfred?”

“Yes?” the older man turns to face him. 

“Just wanted to say thanks for covering for me back there. I seriously have no idea how I damaged the batmobile. Maybe I'm losing my mind.” 

“Though I would lie for you, Master Jason, in this instance I was not. I did indeed crash the batmobile.” 

“What?” Jason starts grinning. “How?”

“You know that ramp that Master Bruce takes on the rarest of occasions that send the mobile flying through the air?”

“By Porter Avenue?”

“Yes.”

Jason feels a sudden overwhelming fear and concern for the old man. “Alfred! You could have killed yourself!” 

“Hush down... I figured if a thirteen-year-old boy could do it, I could do it.” 

“Well, I wasn't just any thirteen-year-old boy.” 

“Very true. And I learned that the hard way. But luckily I know a little bit about repairing the batmobile. I did help build it, you know?”

“Alfred, I'm sure Bruce won't want you to fix it.”

“Yes, but it was my doing and that makes it my price to pay. Besides, he's been very busy with a case lately and it will be awhile before he can fix it. So, I will start fixing it first thing tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, I would appreciate it if the rest of you will make breakfast for yourselves.”

“I'm sure Dick can manage that. It wouldn't kill him to help out around the house now and again... That spoiled piece-of-shit. I honestly think I'm the only one who does anything around here.” he mumbled, hoping Alfred won't get after him for saying something bad about Dick. 

“You 'are' the only one... The only one who doesn't seem to understand that we have a cleaning staff.” 

“You mean the retirement-home that stops by every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday?” 

“Uh, yes.” 

“Hm, well Bruce should fire those old people and hire someone who's more capable. They do a shitty job. I have to go behind them and clean because of all the stuff they miss.”

“Oh, well that explains it. I thought the manor looked cleaner since you've been staying here. I couldn't figure out how that was possible with both Master Richard and Master Timothy being here.”

“Yeah, maybe you should stop spoiling them so much, Alf, it isn't fair to their future wives. Oh, that reminds me. Some old guy fell off a ladder in the library last week. I'm pretty sure he was faking the extent of his injury but I gave him a ride to the hospital. And he was raving all the way. I'm pretty sure the idiot is planning on suing Bruce.” 

“Yes, we got a call from his lawyer this morning and he said he was taking us to court.”

“Wow, that was fast. What are you guys going to do about it?” 

“I told Master Bruce to take him to court and win, but he just gave him everything he was asking for instead.”

“Oooh... Well, Bruce has always been a big softy when it comes to psychopaths... And Dick.” 

Alfred grins. “Perhaps so... Oh, and for your information, Mr. McKern is ten years younger than me. So who exactly are you discriminating against? Hm?” 

“Well, you're just a rare jewel. I meant no offense.”

“Says the offender of multiple crimes. Well, lucky for me I'm much tougher than my outward appearance. But living with the likes of you and Master Bruce does that to one's sensibilities.” 

“You're welcome.” he grabs an apple from the fruit bowl and takes a bite. “Hey, do you want me to help you with the batmobile?”

“With your health conditions? Absolutely not! And please do not press the matter... But I wouldn't mind if you do not start in with Master Richard on your differences.” 

Jason looks at him while he chews. “Okay, whatever you say, Padre... Here. I'll do the dishes for you then.” He grabs a big pot and starts washing it. 

Alfred turns towards him. “That is not necessary. I am the one paid for doing it.”

“You may be paid, but doing the dishes isn't in your job description. You just adopted the habit after that one staff member died of—get this, old age.”

“You are so charming, Master Jason. I don't think you know when to quit.” 

“My point is, Bruce needs better staff members and 'you' need to take it easier. You aren't getting any younger.”

“Hmm, Is that why you are always helping out? You're worried about me?”

“Course not. I know you can handle anything Bruce can throw at you.”

“Uhuh, well, you don't need to prove yourself to me, Master Jason. No matter what wrong you do you will 'always' be my family." Jason looks at him as they stare with a fondness for a moment. "And besides,” he pushes Jason to the side. “-there's not enough elbow room in front of the sink for both of us.” He tugs at the pot he's washing trying to take over but Jason tugs back.

“Then why don't you go take the rest of the evening off? Read a book or something and let me do the dishes.”

“You and your scandalous ideas!” 

Jason grins and winks at the old man, “Go. Take care of yourself for once.”

“Well, I could very well say the same to you.” 

Jason looks up from the dishes. “What are you talking about? I brush my teeth and eat my vegetables. What more is there?” 

Alfred's brows furrow curiosity. “Are you sure you've been eating enough?”

Jason's cautious about answering the question. “Yeah, I'm sure.” 

“I couldn't help but notice you've lost weight just in the couple weeks you've been staying here.” Jason doesn't look up from the sink as he scrubs another pot. “Master Jason?... Why have you lost weight when you were very fit before?” 

Jason looks at him. “I lost a few pounds because of stress. But I'm fine. It's just a matter of time before I put the weight back on. Stop worrying about me. I'm going to be okay, Alfred.” 

“...Do you think I am a fool?” Jason looks away but continues to listen to him. Alfred puts a hand on his arm to get his full attention. “I assure you I am not. And I do not appreciate nor do I tolerate you lying to me. So, I will ask you for the truth once more... Are you getting sicker?” 

Jason sets the clean pot on the counter and sighs. “I told you, it's just stress.”

Alfred's brows furrow as he places a hand on Jason's pale and cool cheek. “I know you, Master Jason, and you are possibly the toughest person I have ever known. Despite how hard you try to mislead everyone, I can still see through your facade.” They stare at each other in silence for a few moments. Seeing Jason's not going to confess to anything, he sighs in frustration. “Well, then. Have fun doing the dishes... I think I will go to bed early tonight. Goodnight, lad.” he walks away. Jason sighs with relief and starts scrubbing another pot clean and then dries it with a dish towel. 

He's nearly done with the dishes when he hears a noise in the hall and looks behind him where the door is to see Tim rolling by the kitchen door in a wheelchair, slowly, almost like he's begging for attention. “Yo, Tim! You should probably be using your crutches. If you baby yourself all the time you'll never regain your strength.”

“Shut up, mom!” he hissed.

“Whoa,” Jason walks to the kitchen door, drying his hands on the dish towel as he goes, and then looks down the hallway as Tim keeps strolling along as slow as a snail. “You're still fuming?” 

Tim stops and reluctantly acknowledges Jason, turning his wheelchair in an 180-degree angle to face him. “'Still fuming'?... I just found out you stole my girl not even two days ago, Jason! Of course, I'm still 'fuming' you—you insensitive prick!... But I really don't feel in the mood to talk with you--ever again.”

“I know, Tim... But we need to talk.” 

“About what? How you're the biggest dirtbag in the entire world? Fine! Let's talk! It's my favorite subject!” 

“I know you have every right to be mad at me, but I want to explain.” 

“You already did! And I still will never forgive you, Jason! Never!” He starts to roll himself away then stops and looks back. “Let me ask you this.” he spins his wheelchair around again. “Did you sleep with her just to hurt me? Or was it really just because you are a sex-hungry-animal?” 

“I... I never meant to hurt you.”

Tim's silence and calmness make Jason think for a second that things might work out after all. “So if you didn't do it to hurt me... then how do you really feel about Stephanie?”

Jason blinks away his frown and then crosses his arms and leans up against the door frame. “Like I said, I was just being a guy... She kissed me and, well, let's just say my interest peeked. She was offering something I couldn't resist. But as far as either of us should be concerned, she's still fair game.” he said coolly.

“That's good to know.” Tim pulls out his recorder and smiles. “She's gonna know exactly how you feel about her.” 

“Go ahead.” Jason's smug expression fades slightly. “Just keep in mind that if you give Steph that recording or tell her anything, then I will pull you under the bus with me.” Tim looks at him and frowns, not expecting this from Jason. He thought he would still remain remorseful for awhile, but instead, he shows well-developed spitefulness. “You think I don't know it was 'you' who hacked into my computer and phone earlier today?” Tim's eyes bulge with shock and guilt as he searches for a plausible explanation of how Jason found out and so quickly, too. “What exactly were you hoping to find, Tim?... Hm?” 

“Anything to use against you.” he hissed.

“And did you find anything?”

He looks away and swallows. “I haven't had time to go over all the files.”

Jason smirks. “Bullshit. You already checked everything, you just didn't find anything to use against me.” 

“Don't look so proud, Hood! I'm sure you have other high-tech devices that you're hiding all your dirty little secrets on. I found you out in the past, I can find you out again.”

“Yeah, and lesson learned. You really think I wouldn't prepare myself for you hacking into my curricular activities again?”

“Stop talking down to me. I may not have been able to get very far using my hacking skills but I got all the info I needed with the help of my friend. You may have heard of him. His name is Conner Kent. He's an alien who has super strength, sight, and hearing. Should I go on?" 

"And this concerns me, how?" 

"I sent him on your trail and he was able to locate one of your safe houses manually about an hour ago. And boy, did we find a lot on you.” Jason doesn't seem to believe him. “Oh, and Conner said he kinda wrecked the whole place.”

Jason's smile fades into a calm yet dangerous looking expression. “Which bunker?” 

“Wouldn't you like to know. Sorry, but my lips are sealed. You might want to drive around and check them all out... Oh, and I also found a money trail and information that was ooh so juicy.” He smiles, relishing in Jason's solemnity.

“You didn't find anything... Even if you did, there's nothing I'm hiding that she doesn't already know about.” 

“Really? So you don't mind me telling her about Elsis-18.. Co.12E and that corresponds to a Miss Grace M-” 

Jason kicks his wheelchair to startle him. He rolls back a few feet before Jason grabs hold of the arms of the wheelchair and leans down. “I will 'not'... be threatened by you, kid...” Tim leans back further in his seat. Jason stands back up and crosses his arms. “And if I were you, I would think twice before telling Stephanie anything... I don't think you want her finding out that you are her little stalker, would you?”

Tim's eyes bulge wondering how in the world Jason could possibly have found that out, too. He's starting to see what it feels like to be Bruce, or generally speaking, Jason's enemy. “What? No! It wasn't like that!”

“So, you did do it. I was mostly betting on it being Grayson. But you are the one who has a huge crush on Steph and a bad habit of 'butting in'.”

“'Butting in'? Ha! You're one to talk, Mr. Mom.” Tim starts mocking him in a phony voice. “'Tim, you need to workout using the rails. Tim, you need to eat your food. Tim, let me carry you through the garden so you can smell the roses'.” 

Jason rolls his eyes. “Okay, I get it...You know for a little guy you got a huge ego.”

Tim nearly gasps at the insult, but Jason seems unaware that his words bear that much weight. It's not even the ego part that hurts. It's the comment about his size, which has recently become a very sore topic. He breathes deeply to regather his composer. “Whatever... It wasn't a crime, Jason. I was looking out for her.” 

“Right. So you planted a bug in her bedroom that she's been living in part-time since Batman came into her life?... What did you think was going to happen to her in her bedroom, Tim?” 

Tim starts perspiring. “It... It was a case we were working when she first came to live at the manor. And she had gotten mixed up with this guy. And I was just trying to make sure nothing happened to her. And Bruce disagreed with planting the camera so I did it behind his back. And her back-” 

Jason rolls his eyes again. “Relax, Tim. Lucky for you I know you're not a perv... Although, I was very disturbed with how much footage was on that camera dating back to a year ago. But whatever your lame ass excuse is, why didn't you remove the camera after your precaution phase was over?”

“Because she hardly ever stayed at the manor and I was really busy and forgot about it.” Tim waits for his reaction and when Jason seems content on listening to his story he continues. “But let's get back on track, shall we? I do have a question about my findings on your bunker computer because I couldn't find a logical explanation for it. Why are you leaving the country?” He smirks, wallowing in the fact that Jason looks slightly uncomfortable now. “And there is one thing that I found that seemed very odd and even more pointless. Why did you go to a jewelers shop a few weeks ago and make a $12,000 dollar purchase? Seems like a lot of money and you've never been the kind of guy that likes spending money on luxuries.” 

“I'm not leaving the country to benefit you in any way, so don't get your hopes up. And if me going to a jewelers shop seems so pointless to you, why then, do you even bother asking about it?” 

“Answer my questions, Jason.” 

“No... I don't have to answer to you, Tim.” He starts to walk away but Tim speeds down the hall hot on his heals. 

“What? You like wearing fancy jewelry, Jason? Since when? You trying to copy Black Mask's style? And here I thought you were an original kind of guy. That's an awful lot of money to spend on yourself. That's a lot to spend on jewelry, period. So what exactly did you buy there?”

Jason turns around suddenly, surprising Tim and causing him to put on his breaks. “I bought a ring...” 

Tim's face becomes still and his mouth opens in pain that his worst fear might be true. “An engagement ring?... For Steph?”

“Yeah... Not that it's any of your business... because you will 'not' be invited to the wedding.” Jason turns around and starts walking away again. 

Tim is shocked by his comment. He didn't expect to get under Jason's skin so quickly. His longing for conclusion drives him forward, literally. “So now I'm the bad guy?!” 

Jason turns around quickly, again. “Yeah, Tim!” 

“How so?!”

“You've been snooping through my stuff! Stalking Stephanie! First, it was just Bruce and Dick! Now you?!... If Steph lets me have my way, you are not going to be invited.” Jason turns away and resumes his course down the hall. 

“I thought you said you were just using Steph as your play thing? So why are you now marrying her?” Jason doesn't respond and Tim pushes forward, following him through the house and perfectly able to keep up with him with proper motivation. “Well, it's too bad you wasted your money. Because I'm showing Stephanie everything I found! And I'm telling her everything you said about her!”

“Go ahead. I got her wrapped around my finger.” 

“Ha! Well, guess what, bro? I'm still recording! And when she hears this, she won't ever want to see your smug face again! And then I'll be the bridegroom-” Jason frowns back at him, thinking this kid's head injury must have been more permanent than he initially thought. 

Tim keeps ranting. He knows he must sound crazy but his emotions are running so deep with the frustration of feeling cheated and angry at both of them, and his own luck. Since he can't physically assault Jason, he does the next best thing; verbally abuse him, which is something he's never been very good at and it's showing. “-and YOU will definitely not be invited to 'my' wedding! Because no one else will want you there, Jason. Not one of them will lift a finger for you. You worthless piece of trash! You punk! You serial killer! You asshole!”

Jason frowns over his shoulder at him again. “Got anything better?”

Tim stops pursuing after him. “How could you do it?!” Jason stops when he hears the tears in his voice. “You stole the woman I love!” Tim cried, feeling defeated and helpless that even if he wasn't still recovering he still couldn't beat Jason. He wonders if that's why Stephanie never sees him as anything more than just a friend. He doesn't know if it's the strength difference, the height, the fact that Jason has a tough masculine look about him and Tim has a smaller and softer frame. Or maybe it's the dark and mysteriousness about this bad boy which Tim, thereof lacks entirely. He was always content being the smart one. He never had a problem or felt inferior to Jason or anyone else until he learned that Jason broke the bro-code while he was sleeping. To him, Jason is no different than a 'Jody' and what really upsets him is why he ever expected anything else from Jason? Why did he ever trust him or defend his honor? 

Jason takes a deep breath in and keeps walking, not daring to look back. Tim becomes so overwhelmed with the frustration of being ignored that he grabs the crystal candle stick holder off the corner table and throws it at the back of Jason's head. He hears it whizzing through the air and turns around smacking it into the wall before it hits him. They both pause for a moment but Jason doesn't aid on Tim's wrath, instead, he chooses to turn around again and leave.

“Face me, you whore!” Tim yelled as he follows Jason through the house again. “Where are you going, Jason? Huh?! You can't leave yet! I want you to watch closely while I win Stephanie back and take her from you! While I take everything you built from you! I want the world to watch while I defeat the red prince of the underworld! I'm going to take everything from you! Your name! Your reputation! And most importantly... your girl. And I can and 'will' do this!”

Jason stops and remains calm momentarily before clenching his fist and then turning back around and speed walking back towards him. Tim leans back in his wheelchair, half surprised he finally got to him and half afraid that he may have just awoken a hibernating bear. “Say that again.” Jason hisses as he leans down and puts his hand around Tim's throat and rams his wheelchair against the wall. Tim's face turns red from the strain and fear illuminates from his eyes, as he tries to pry Jason's hand off his throat. “Tell me again what you are going to 'take' from me. How you're going to steal everything that I worked 'hard' to build! Everything I did! Everything I GAVE!... Tell me again you are going to take that from me.” he said, with his eyes mad with rage. His expression slowly softens as he suddenly becomes aware of what he's doing: strangling an 18-year-old who's presently in a wheelchair. He lets go and steps back slowly, looking down and away from Tim, ashamed. Tim grabs his own throat and rubs it, still shaking from the event. 

“I'm sorry... You're just a hurting kid... You don't know what you're saying.” Jason said, quietly. Tim remains silent, still afraid he might lash out again. “What do you want me to do, Tim?... I'm sorry... I'm sorry because I never wanted to hurt you. How can I prove that to you?... Your friendship means so much to me. Because... you're my only friend... The only one besides Stephanie and Alfred that I actually trust.”

“Well,” Tim tries to gather strength in his voice. “Maybe you should have thought about that before you slept with the girl I'm in love with.” He rolls past Jason with bitter tears stinging his eyes. Jason sighs grievously, shaking his head and unclenching his fist.

Tim rolls down the ramp to the bat-computer where Dick is waiting for him. “What took you so long?”

“I'm in a wheelchair, Dick.” he hisses, even though that's not why he was delayed.

“Relax! I wasn't meaning to be rude.” 

“Why did you call me down here?”

“I ran into Conner Kent today in Gotham city—of all places. And he told me that you were trying to find dirt on some guy by the name of Jason. Which can only mean one thing... you know about him and Stephanie... Are you okay?”

“No... I'm not,” he said, fighting the tears that are trying to escape once more. 

“I gather you're preparing to go to war with him?”

“Don't bother trying to stop me, Dick. Jason needs to pay for what he's done to me.”

“I know... That's exactly why I'm here. I want to help you get rid of him.” 

Tim looks up, surprised. “What?”

“I'm going to help you take down Jason, which is probably going to be a lot harder than taking down Red Hood. That is if you are still wanting to win Stephanie back.”

“Yes, definitely yes. I don't give a damn what happens to Jason... I just need Stephanie back.”

“I know... And that's why we need to plan this carefully. There are things we can't do to Jason because Stephanie will find out and be pissed at us for intruding in her personal affairs.... It's only a matter of time before Jason gets his counter attack put into motion, and then when that happens we better be ready. Because Jason is the kind of guy that will bring a bazooka to a sword fight.”

“Tut. Almost forgot how much he loves overkill.”

“Exactly why we need to treat it as the fact that you are going to be no exception to his behavior. But first I need to find out what his first attack will be. And I think I already know. Do you remember that one time about a year ago when you planted that camera in Steph's room when she was a guest at the manor?”

Tim covers his eyes and groans. “Yep.”

“Well, I think you should know that Jason found the camera.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You do?... How?”

“I tried to blackmail him before I came down here, and he ended up blackmailing me.”

“Oh, man.” Dick sits down and rubs his brows. “You didn't let him know I was involved, did you?”

“No, I didn't.”

“Thanks.”

“Wait a second.” Tim looks at the screen, realizing that it's Stephanie's room. “Is this the film?”

“Yeah.” 

“Why are you watching it?!” he snaps. 

“Whoa, Tim! Cool it! I wasn't watching it. I just watched the ending when it was cut off. And that's how I know that Jason found it.” He looked at the gadget on his arm and pushed a button. “The alarm went off a few months ago, saying that it had been manually disabled. I didn't think much of it at the time but that was before I had any idea that Jason and Steph started seeing each other secretly.” 

He pushes play on the film. It shows Jason crawling through Stephanie's bedroom window at night. He tiptoes through the bedroom and then goes to the door and locks it before turning on the bedroom light. He slowly spins around, looking the room over. He checks over every surface, every picture on the wall, every item on her dressers and wardrobe. And occasionally he seems to be just observing her belongings. He slowly runs his hand over her diary that is sitting on her dresser. He grins and looks over his shoulder at the door and then back at the book. He taps his fingers on the hardcover and then moves on, leaving her secrets be and continuing his search for any bugs.

“When was this?”

“About a month after you were in a coma. Few weeks before Steph ran off with him.” 

They watch the screen as Jason finds the bug above a huge picture frame. He shakes his head in disbelief. “Was this your doing, Grayson?” the audio breaks up over some of the speech. “Bet y-- pulled Tim into this spying thing of yours, didn't yuh? I'm coming for you one of these d-ays.” he smirks at the camera before it turns into gray static. 

Tim looks at Dick still full of questions. 

“What?... Oh, please. Don't tell me you actually believe him?”

“Are you spying on other people, Dick?” 

“Course not! Only person I ever spied on was Jason... And that one time I spied on Bruce... And Alfred when he kept hiding the cereal from me.” 

“So pretty much everyone? Oh, my god. Are you spying on me too?!”

“No! I swear. I never spied on you.” Tim is still distressed and unable to believe him. Dick massages his neck for a few seconds. “Relax. You shouldn't worry. Unless you got something to hide.” he grins, but it doesn't bring Tim any comfort. “Which you don't. Because I already know about your hacking gigs. And I've even seen you naked on several occasions now.” Tim's face turns bright red. “Don't worry, little bird, all your secrets are safe with me.” Dick loops his arm around Tim's shoulders.

Tim sighs. “Okay, so what's the plan?” 

“Plan? I don't know. All I do know is that knowledge is power. And the more evidence you can build of every shady thing Jason has ever done, the better. You're going up against a ruthless guy who lies on practically daily basis. And his rep in Gotham's underworld is that he's a very calculated and manipulative person. So you might need to stoop down to his level in order to beat him.” 

“Or I could not. I'm sure that would make him uncomfortable.” 

Dick smiles. “You were always the better man, Tim... Question is, does Stephanie want a better man?” he stands up to leave. “Oh, and just don't forget. No matter what happens, in victory or failure... I got your back.” 

“Thanks.” Dick nods and starts to leave. “Hey, Dick?” he stops and turns around. “Is there any way you can talk to her again? Try to figure out what she really sees in him? Because maybe if I can figure that out, then I can find a way to destroy that thing in him... Or at the very least, get her to see me?... Maybe point out my good qualities or something?” 

Dick looks down and breathes in deeply. “She says she's in love with him... But... I'll talk to her again when I get the chance. I honestly don't think she'll listen to me. Maybe you should try to talk with her too? Tell her what you think of Jason. She respects you, Tim, she'll listen.”

“Okay, I'll try... Oh, and Dick... Thanks.”

“What else are brother's for?”

~*~ 

I was sitting on my bed when Dick knocks on my open bedroom door. “May I come in?”

I look up relieved to see it's him and not Tim. “Yeah.” 

He walks towards the bed carrying two glasses and a wine bottle. “You're not quite twenty-one but you're close enough.” 

I grin. “What is this? A romantic night?” 

“Now, Stephanie, don't get any crazy ideas.” he grins as he takes a seat and hands me a glass. He fills it up, then next his own glass. “A toast to Tim's health.” 

“And to better days for all of us.” We tap our glasses together and drink. 

“So, how are you and Jason doing?” 

I look down into my red wine and swirl it around in my glass. “Why do you ask?” 

Dick looks slightly annoyed by my response. “Well, you disappeared for almost two days so I just assumed you guys had gotten into some kind of fight.”

“No, we didn't...”

“Then what happened?” 

“I'm not sure...” I sigh and then prepare myself to tell the truth. “Tim kissed me.”

“Oh...”

“And he still doesn't know that Jason and I-... are getting married.”

His reaction is calm, almost like he was expecting it. “Why?”

“Because we love each other.”

“You guys are really young.”

“Jason made a proposition and it's the best thing for both of us.”

“Yeah? How so? You guys barely know each other!” he becomes riled up, shocking me with his vexation. “And I doubt either one of you even knows what marriage means.”

I scowl. “We know what we're doing. I love him and he loves me and that's all that matters... We can be happy together.”

“Marriage is a life long commitment! Why the hell are you guys rushing into it?” he stands up.

I start to get angry with the fact that he's angry. “Because!...” I give up, not in the mood to explain all my reasons.

Dick stares at me for a moment then shakes his head. He sits back down on the bed beside me, then sets his glass down calmly. He reaches over and grabs my hand. “Steph... Did he get you pregnant?” I feel my stomach tighten and my heart starts pounding in my chest with shock and fear. He studies my reaction for a moment and then tries to mask his frustration. “I'll take that as a yes...” he looks away from me and then shakes his head. He grabs my glass of wine from me and sets it to the side. We sit in silence for a few more moments as he tries to hide his anger. I can tell he's not angry with me, it's with Jason. A second later my suspicions are confirmed when he mumbles under his breath. “That irresponsible prick.” 

“I'm just as responsible for it as he is. Maybe more so.”

“Yeah? How so?”

“Because I kissed him first--I wanted the relationship first. So don't you dare put all the blame on Jason.” 

"Okay. But just because you got pregnant doesn't give you a good reason to get married.”

“It's not the only reason we're getting married... And I haven't told him about the baby, so you better not say a thing.”

“Yeah, well, that's more than obvious... My question is, what are 'his' motives for marrying you? Is he just trying to be as rebellious as possible?” 

I would never admit this out loud but I wondered the same thing, but if I know Jason as well as I think I do then that is not his motives. I suddenly feel ashamed that I was so quick to doubt him. “I didn't ask for your opinion, Dick!” I hissed. “And you better keep your mouth shut about the baby. I don't need you adding to the stress I'm already going through.”

“Fine, my lips are sealed... for now.” 

“I know you think he's dangerous but this is my decision. I'm not scared of him the way everyone else is. He's not going to hurt me, and even if he is as bad as you claim I can still handle him. So stop underestimating my power in the relationship!” He remains silent and saddened as he looks away from me. I feel bad I was sounding so nippy so I place a hand on his and speak more gently. “I don't have much more time left with him and I want to spend as much time with him as I can.”

He stares at me for a moment. “What are you talking about? Time left?”

I feel like screaming 'shit' that Bruce hasn't told him yet so now it's my responsibility to break the news to him. “Jason... He-... We think he's dying. And he won't let us help him find a cure.”

“He's dying?... How? Of what?”

“I don't know. He's having a lot of health problems. And we don't know how to help him. He hasn't been cooperative either.” 

“Why am I just now hearing about this?!”

“We just found out a few weeks ago and we've been distracted with Tim... Jason asked me to marry him right before Tim woke up. He wants to go to Brazil until he dies... And he wants to leave all his wealth to me... Which, maybe it's wrong of me to like that offer so much, but I do and I'm grateful for it.”

“You do realize that his 'wealth' is blood money, right?”

“It's not just about the baby or the money, Dick. I want to be with him for as long as I can... I love him.”

“Yeah, but what makes you think he's going to stick around after he finds out he's going to be a dad? I mean this is Jason we're talking about, Stephanie. The guy can't even make friends and keep them, and you think he wants to be a father?! You think Bruce or myself is going to let him be the male role model to a child of what a healthy adult should look like?! Are you mad?!” He catches his breath. “If you want to keep that baby, that's fine, but you need to have realistic expectations when it comes to Jason. If--and that's a big 'if'--he sticks around you need to ask yourself, is he really the man you want to raise your kid with? Do you guys even agree on basic parenting stuff like 'should I spank my kid?'. There's a lot of outcomes to this, Stephanie, and I don't think you've considered them... And if you ask me... I really don't think Jason is going to stick around when he finds out. He'll probably disappear in the night and you'll never see him again.” 

My vision becomes blurred by tears. I know what he's saying might be true but I want to believe he's wrong about Jason. I don't know what will happen when he finds out about the baby but I'm terrified that he will abandon me... abandon us. 

“This... This doesn't even make sense! None of this does!” he starts pacing again. “Are you guys going to look for a cure? Why is he dying? I don't understand. Why didn't somebody tell me sooner?!”

“I told you we don't have any answers and we haven't had the time to tell you!” 

His back is turned as he grows very silent before he looks back at me. “Excuse me... There's something I need to do.” he races out of the room leaving me hanging on the edge of my seat. 

~***~

Dick races down to the batcave where Jason is working on the batmobile. “Jason!” he said, walking towards him hastily.

Jason was laying on an automotive creeper and slides back out from under the batmobile. He's wearing solid colored army pants and a white t-shirt that's covered in car grease. “What?” he sits up. 

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” 

“Sure.” He grabs another tool and slides back under the car resuming his work. 

“No... I mean can I have your full attention? That kind of talk.”

“Can it wait?”

“No...”

Jason slides back out and frowns at Dick. “Okay?” he said, impatiently. 

“Stephanie told me that you're dying.”

Jason rolls his eyes and gets to his feet then walks to the hood of the car and starts working on it. “She and Bruce are greatly exaggerating... I'm fine.”

“And now you're flat out lying to me? Do you not have any respect for me at all?!”

“Bingo.” 

“Why are you such an ass?!” His shaky voice gives away that he's verging on tears. Jason looks at him sincerely surprised. “I'm the last one to know. And then I find out that you're not letting them find you a cure?”

Jason throws down the tool and faces him. “That's because there is no cure. And you're not the last to know because Tim still doesn't know. And you better not tell him.”

“Jason...You don't know if there's no cure if you haven't even bothered looking! You have an opportunity that a lot of other dying people don't have. You have resources! So use them!”

Jason leans against the car and looks at his hand while he tries to wipe the grease off with a rag. “There's no cure, Dick... I already looked.”

“Where did you look? Who helped you?”

“Only the best team of physicians and a few scientist in the world. Alfred showed me the list of Doctors that were coming, more than half of them have already tried to help me. Bruce is wasting his time and his money... Not to mention my time. Which I probably don't have much of.”

“Jason-” His eyes fill with tears. 

Jason frowns. “Don't feel sorry for me, Dick.” 

“How can I not?... You're family. You're dying young again... And I pushed you away all this time... How can I not feel sorry? How can I not hate myself for pushing you away?”

“Because...” he checks over his shoulder to make sure no one's eavesdropping. “I did this to myself... So don't feel guilty about anything.”

“What?... What do you mean? How?”

Jason looks up at him through his lashes with a serious expression. “It doesn't matter how. It's not like I don't deserve this... Just-... do me one favor, Dick?” he nods and listens eagerly. “Make sure Steph and Tim are okay after I'm gone. And make sure Alfred takes it easy. He works too hard.” he looks at his watch. “Listen, I got to get back to work.” he leans over the car and resumes his task.

“Jason.” Dick puts a hand on his shoulder then turns him and pulls him into a hug. Jason keeps his own arms by his sides, still in shock at the sudden brotherly affection. “I... I'm sorry I was never there for you when you were Robin. I'm sorry I pushed you away... It's my greatest regret.”

Jason hangs onto his words with empathy and then slowly embraces Dick's hug and holds him for a few moments before whispering in his ear. “Things never would have been different between us.” 

Dick slowly pulls away and looks at him. “Why?” 

Jason is silent and looks away from him thinking about it carefully. “Because... You stole his love from me, Dick... I never wanted to be you, but I thought I had to be... I did everything you did, I even surpassed you at times but it still never changed a thing... It took my dying and coming back to life to realize why.” 

“You realized what?” 

Jason hesitates for a moment. “That it had nothing to do with skills... But 'everything' to do with heart... You had that cheerful personality that lifted his own gloomy spirit. That soft nature that always made him think twice before he beat someone up... You had innocence, and it became his morality... Whereas I had none... I was never what Bruce wanted or needed... I was just that stray he saved from the gutter on impulse. And once he got me home he realized I called for too much caring... All I ever wanted was to have Bruce love me the way I loved him... But he didn't... And in a way, it's all your fault.”

Dick frowns, trying to figure out Jason's true motives for saying that last part. Is he just trying to sabotage himself from having any emotional attachments? Or is he really trying to punish Dick? He steps back slowly contemplating what is the right response to Jason's aggressive accusation. He decides to meet venom with venom. “Well, like I said before... If you're good at anything, Jason... It's pushing people away.”

“I pride myself in it.” he responded coolly, but instead of repelling Dick farther it draws him nearer.

“You want to know what your problem is, Jason?... The truth is you don't love me at all. So you place blame on me because deep down inside, you don't 'want' to blame Bruce.” Jason looks up slowly, his full attention finally being caught. “Because you're so freaken in love with him that you can't rationalize his level of insanity for putting children in a war zone! For neglecting you and indirectly getting you killed!... I know how you feel. How you thought he was letting your dreams come true when you took the oath. I felt that way too, you know? Being Robin made all our problems melt away, at least until they eventually catch up with us and everything falls apart again! I get what it's like to feel heartbreak and rejection! And to feel like your not good enough. I get how you feel.” 

Jason snarls and throws the rag down angrily. “How?! You don't know what it's like to be me! You've never known what true hunger feels like because your parents wouldn't provide for you. You didn't feel all your bones in your body break because of your desperation for some kind of love and acceptance by someone. Anyone! You weren't so miserable and lonely that you chased after a mother who had given you up! You didn't die and come back to life only to be even more despised than you were in your youth!... Then only a few years later discover that you're dying again because you screwed up!” tears of rage fill his eyes. “...You were always that kid who had a circle of friends to run to when Batman acted like a senseless asshole... But me?... I had no one... I was the kid who always sat by himself, and never could figure out 'why'... So, how dare you say you get it... You. Don't. Get. Me... You never have... You never will... So stop acting like a know-it-all.”

“I was trying to comfort you!” Dick defended himself.

“Yeah? Well, I don't need your comfort. For all I care, you and your comfort can burn in hell cuz I'm done feeding the flames.” Jason turns away as if the conversation is over.

Dick remains silent, shocked that his sympathy is being so violently rejected. He shakes his head with tears of hurt pouring from his eyes. He turns away and leaves in haste. He suddenly comes to a stop and looks back at him. “Any sympathy I had for you, Jason, is now gone... You've made me your enemy.”

“We always have been enemies, Dick.”

“...You know what?... Screw you.” Dick's fiery dart seems to bounce off of Jason's thick skin and pierce him in his own chest. He turns away, crying, and Jason watches as he races up the flight of stairs and to the elevator. Once he is gone, Jason leans forward feeling exhausted, and possibly... regretful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> leave me a comment about your honest thoughts on this chapter! I always love hearing from you guys.


	20. In Love and in War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, one more family member finds out about Stephanie's "little" secret. While Stephanie is confused by all her mixed feelings about everything going on in her life. Jason tries to do what's best for Tim and Stephanie. And Tim keeps searching for dirt on Jason that will make Steph think twice before giving her whole heart away to a killer. And he just might find something that will put a strain on Stephanie and Jason's relationship, forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning. Violence, Blood and Explicit Sexual Content in this chapter. I will mark with ~M~ for Sexual Content if you want to skip to the last 3 paragraphs.

~***~

It was a cold rainy night in Gotham city as Red Hood races across the rooftops with a group of meta assassins following close behind. He jumps over the side of a wall and claws at the wall to slow his descent until he lands on top of a dumpster and does a flip to the ground. He squats down and glances overhead only to see the assassins stop and look over the edge of the roof. "There he is!" One of the assailants yell.

The soles of his feet grip hold of the concrete for a brief moment, giving him all the momentum he needs to gain speed quickly and continue running through the streets. He's been running for over three hours straight now, but it feels like it's been an eternity. He's already stopped once, thinking he had finally lost them but they found him within a minute and sent him back on his course of trying to outrun them. He's not entirely sure of their abilities, but one created an energy force that knocked him off his feet, he doesn't know if it was coming from the man or a weapon that he didn't see, and another one can fly. The flying one has caught up with him twice now, engaging in a quick rustle for dominance before Jason was able to escape the battle.

Every attempt he used to try and kill them they somehow manage to survive. One did fall out of the chase, though, so his grenade probably did some damage but now he's out of grenades and only has four bullets left. Going up against meta's with half your toys is really bad. Bruce used to always stress: always be prepared for anything. Jason could have been today but he thought he was just going to meet up with some of his men and give them quick instructions concerning their goals but when he arrived at the warehouse an ambush was waiting for him. Somebody sold him out, and from the quick glance he got around the room full of his dead men, it wasn't them. Unless they're idiots? Which on second thought, could very well be the case.

He runs as fast as he can, pushing himself well past his limits. His lungs wheeze and his heartaches in his chest and pounds in his head. His muscles start to become weak and shaky as exhaustion sets in. Just when he thinks he's going to lose them he gets cut off by the same flying meta, she could easily catch him if she wanted to but for some reason, she doesn't seem to want to. He's curious if this is all a trap, some reason they want to keep him running like they are trying to herd him. He's running out of time. He can feel the pains in his chest screaming a warning that if he doesn't stop soon to catch his breath, he may cause his heart to fail. With his unknown health problem ailing, he has no idea what his limits are but he's probably reaching them. Considering his heart has stopped beating from much less. He's honestly surprised he's lasted this long. Yeah, in his prime he could do this three-hour run, then some. But now? Not so much.

He runs down an alley and leans up against the wall groaning as his heart sends shooting pains throughout his body. He clutches his chest and slides down the wall to the ground. His pride wasn't allowing himself to call the bat-family for help, but now that he's desperate enough and willing to accept their help, it's probably too late. His hands shake violently as he reaches into his jacket looking for his comm. He grips hold of it and pulls it out then takes off his helmet to use it. He has a radio in his helmet, but it's channeled strictly to the league of assassins and other less than honorable people. He only has one for the bat-family that he carries in his coat for such an emergency. His hands shake violently as he tries to send the distress call, "Argh!" his pain in his chest intensifies. He drops the comm link and grips his left arm for a moment then his heart stops beating. His arms drop to his sides and his head hangs down, but his body is still propped up against the alley wall: dead.

A few seconds later the assassins are running by the alley, one instantly notices him. "Over here!" the four men race into the alley, they stop in front of Red Hood. One kicks his foot. "Hey!..."

Another picks up the helmet and looks at it. "My kid will have fun with this." 

"You're dead meat, Red Hood." One pulls out his sword.

"I think he might already be." the man with the helmet kneels down and places a hand on his throat, searching for a heartbeat. He looks back at the other men. "He's dead."

"What?! How? We didn't even get to him."

"I don't know. He doesn't appear to be injured." the man stands back up.

"I say we cut his head off and bring it back to our boss."

"Why not. First, let us make sure it's not some playing-dead-trick." He pulls out his gun and shoots Jason in the chest: one, two, three times. Jason gasps for air; the bulletproof armor protected him from the bullets entering his body, but the force of the bullets shocked his heart with barely enough force to restart his heart again.

"What the hell!?" the men step back a foot surprised. Jason's head rolls side to side and then he looks up. One man snarls and takes his sword and aims to stab Jason in the face, but his reflexes are quick even in the daze and he clasps the sword between both hands and withstands the man's strength. He directs it to the side and let's go, the man's force he was giving slams his own sword into the brick wall next to Jason's head.

Jason grabs hold of the blade that is firmly planet in the wall and lifts his body up to kick the man in the face, then jumps to his feet quickly elbowing another man in the face, not having time to draw his own gun he blocks another man's aim as the gun goes off, sounding the alarm that only the dogs in the neighborhood seem to react to by barking and howling. He struggles with the man for a moment then gets his gun from his hands and shoots him point blank in the face. Another man attacks from behind but Jason quickly defends himself from the assault.

The third man comes from the other side, they fight in close spaces of the alleyway and they appear to be evenly matched. The man with the sword swings at him again from behind, but Jason spins the other assailant into his path, using him as a human shield. The swordsman remains shocked for a moment at the misfortune of accidentally killing his own comrade, and Jason takes full advantage of his distracted state of mind. He races to the man and kicks him in the chest, letting him fall backward and grasping his sword as it flies from the man's hand. He spins around and slices another man's throat who was attempting to attack him from behind. The man grabs his throat and falls to the ground as he drowns in his own blood. Jason turns back to the swordsman laying on the ground and steps on his throat. "Who sent you?"

The assassin smirks as Jason turns around quickly, knowing he must have missed someone. Just then the flying meta sweeps down and grabs him, pulling him higher and higher into the air. Jason turns and stabs her in the shoulder with his dagger, causing them both to go down again. She drops him, and he rolls on his landing in the middle of the road. He's unharmed from the fall but his lungs throb from having the wind knocked out of him. He doesn't have time to recover because now the swordsman is already firing his AK-47 at him. Jason dives behind a car, and stays still for a moment, then tries to get another peek to keep track of where the other assassin went.

"Come on out, Jason!" the man hollers.

Before he has time to question how this man knows his name, the flying meta swoops down in front of him. "RRAARRGHH!!" She growls as he decks down dodging her six-inch sword-like-fingernails as they pierce the metal of the car. He takes his dagger and stabs her in the thigh. "AAHH!!"

The other man joins in on the fight. Jason gets to his feet and swings at the man; they both fight in close proximity, Jason aiming to stab and the man blocking with his machine gun. He tries not to give the gunmen the space to fire that gun but the meta grabs Jason in a headlock and pulls him back but he takes his dagger and stabs her in the face, and before she hits the ground he pulls out his dagger and throws it at the man, stabbing him in the shoulder.

"AARRGH!" He drops to the ground, squirming in pain.

Jason stands up and then steps on the man's shoulder causing him to cry out. "AHHH!!... Ah!"

"Who the hell are you people? And how do you know my name?"

"Your boss wanted us to... get rid of you... You've become... a liability."

"I don't have a boss. So who the hell sent you?"

"Have you forgotten our kind already, Nour?"

Jason is stunned for a moment. He hasn't heard that name in a long time. "Talia?... She sent 'you' to kill me?" Jason asked, with shock lingering in his tone.

"Someone hacked... into the Elsis-... files... They think the trail left behind... was from... Batman... He knows everything now." Jason frowns. "...They think... you snitched."

"Because I have connections to the Batman?" Jason steps down more on the man's shoulder, causing him to cry in pain. "I didn't snitch... But I know how the information got leaked. There's a little one winged bird I underestimated... And he has no idea what he's messing with."

"Are you going to kill me, Nour?"

Jason looks back down at the man. "I need a message sent to your boss... Looks like you're it."

He grabs the sword and stands to the man's side, then raises it. "NO!" the man yells, just before Jason decapitates him. The head rolls a few feet from its body as Jason grabs a piece of cloth and wipes the blade clean, then takes the cloth and pulls the man's shirt up and writes a message with blood. He drops the sword and stumbled against the car gripping his chest again. He slowly walks away from the scene of the crime, forgetting about his helmet, or the comm link. All he can think about is the medicine he has back at home that will help get his heart rate under control. He sees a woman walking to her car. He walks up behind her in the dark. She turns around startled by his presence and stumbles back.

"Give me your keys." he hissed.

She considers his state of being and deduces that he's possibly wounded by the way he's hunched over slightly and clutching his chest. She slams her purse into his face and tries to make a run for it but he grabs hold of her and pushes her up against the car. Pinning her between the car and his body and grabbing her by the throat. "I don't have time for games. Now give me your fucking keys."

"Okay. Just don't hurt me." she cries as she pushes her purse into his chest, surrendering it. He lets go of her and steps a foot away and starts digging through her purse. She hesitates a moment before stepping to the side, trying to keep as much distance between her and the man as possible and then makes a run for her escape.

He finally finds her keys and then looks down the street where she is racing away in high heels. "Thank you!" he hollers to her and then opens the car door, throwing her purse in the passenger seat and getting in, then drives down the road speeding.

He arrives at one of his closest bunkers in Gotham. He pulls open the lid and climbs down the ladder to a small room with high-tech computer equipment, a small fridge and mini sickbay, a bed in one corner and another section with a punching bag and some weights. He sits down on the computer chair and slides across the floor and then pulls out a syringe and bites on it as he rolls up his left sleeve. He grabs the syringe and injects it into his arm. He leans back in the chair as exhaustion sets in and he closes his eyes for only a brief moment, but then, he accidentally falls asleep. 

~*~ 

Dick sits up against the bat computer looking at Bruce while he works on a case. "You should have heard him, Bruce. That coldness about him. The things he says... It's like he's trying his best to hurt me and himself... But I can't figure out why?... Maybe what he said is true. Maybe he really does feel that way about me." he becomes silent waiting for words of encouragement.

Bruce doesn't bother to look at him while he juggles work and fatherly duties. "Don't let him get under your skin. Jason has done the same thing to me several times. He has a way of playing with people's emotions. Which is exactly why he's such a force to be reckoned with."

"My point exactly! So why the hell is he running around the manor free? He needs to be locked away before he hurts somebody innocent!"

He sighs. "This is exactly what he wants you to do, Dick. He's trying to—for lack of a better word-- dominate you. So no matter what he says or does, don't react."

Dick shakes his head and looks away from Bruce, trying not to let it hurt his feelings. "I'll try... But I still don't get what I ever did to him."

"You sided with me." Bruce looks up and stares at him for a moment. "My point is, you two are both harboring a lot of resentment towards each other. And if it goes unchecked—let's just say it's better you two stay far away from one another if you're both unwilling to work your problems out."

"Aside from me and Jason's personal problems, aren't you at all worried about him sleeping in our house? Like, am I really the only one afraid he might slit my throat in the middle of the night? I mean, you should see the way he looks at me sometimes when no one else is looking. It's almost like he's planning on having me for dinner."

Bruce sighs in annoyance. "Stop being so dramatic, Dick. He's not going to kill you."

"How do you know?"

"I just know... The bottom line is he's involved with Stephanie now. And I believe he has genuine feelings for her. And he knows you and Tim are conspiring against him, so you shouldn't be surprised if he becomes more aggressive towards you--"

"Wait a second. Backup. How'd you know about me and Tim?"

"Same way he knows. Call it 'intuition'."

"Oh... Okay, but why does he target me over everyone else?"

"Because... he knows you are a direct threat to his and Stephanie's relationship."

"That doesn't explain why he's more mean to me than Tim? Tim is an even 'more' direct threat."

"Probably because you're getting involved in something that doesn't concern you... And I'm guessing you've also been blackmailing him in hopes he'll call it quits with Stephanie?"

Dick's mouth gapes with disbelief. "Okay, there's no way you know all that from 'intuition'."

Bruce smirks. "The monitor was still running in Tim's room that day he almost drowned in the tub. I heard you threaten Jason."

"Oh..."

"Dick, you need to understand that Jason wants to repair the damage he's done to his and Tim's relationship, and he knows you are trying to aid Tim in getting Stephanie to reject him. You've made your intentions very clear. So now Jason is hoping to scare you off. He knows he's probably lost Tim forever, so all he has left is Stephanie. Which is what he's holding onto the tightest. And if Stephanie rejects him, then his only anchor in the family will be gone. And he'll not only lose Stephanie, he'll lose everyone else. So, you're now his target. A necessary sacrifice in order to secure himself in the family again."

"Wow, that--... actually makes sense."

"Of course it does."

"You deduced all that from what I told you and the radio feed?"

"I also have a pair of eyes and ears. Jason may be hard to read to most people, but I've been reading his silent language since he was a kid." Bruce glances up furtively. "Plus I watched his therapy tapes when he was a teen. I know a little bit about how he thinks and feels."

"Wow, I'd actually be offended if it was anyone but Jason you were talking about." Dick sighs. "So, why do you think he's trying to secure himself in the family? Maybe using us for his own agenda? We're probably expendable in his eyes."

"If Jason wanted to kill us we would already be dead. He could have an agenda. But I think his agenda is that he honestly just wants to find acceptance."

"You're kidding me?"

"No... Everyone wants a home, Dick. Especially when-..."

"When what?"

"Never mind."

Dick thinks about it. "You're right. He probably just wants somebody to bury his rotting corpse after he dies."

Bruce looks up at him. 

"Don't worry, Bruce. Your guys' secret is safe with me. I found out last night."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, Steph told me."

"Oh." he sounds disappointed.

"Jason may or may not be dying, but that doesn't change anything. He needs to be kept away from Stephanie. He's a danger to her entire life, and she's letting her guard down with him."

"Stop being so overly protective, Dick. Stephanie can take care of herself, and even if she couldn't, I know he's not going to hurt her."

"Wow. 'You' being optimistic? That's a first. I hope you have actual reasons and that you're not being blinded by love like Stephanie is?"

"Just trust me. I know him a lot better than you."

"Yeah, but sometimes my intuition is better than yours." he looks at Bruce in the corner of his eye. "...I mean, who knows? I might even know something you don't." Dick glanced at him again waiting to see if Bruce catches on to it but he seems oblivious of the third party involved in Stephanie's and Jason's relationship. "Maybe even something 'huge'."

Bruce looks at him realizing he's hiding something. "Do you know something I don't?"

"Of course not. You're the world's greatest detective. Not me." he waits for another second hoping to stir up Bruce's suspicion even more; since he's dying to tell someone about the contents in which he is sworn to secrecy.

"All right, Dick. You're baiting, I'll bite. Who has you sworn to secrecy and more importantly 'why'?... Anything you tell me will be kept between us."

Dick thinks it over, trying his hardest to resist the urge to share his knowledge. "Dammit. She's going to kill me if she finds out that I told you."

"Is Stephanie pregnant?"

"Whoa... How'd you guess?"

"I suspected for some time now. She was feeling frequently ill, and her 'mood swings' were practically 'insane'. Then Alfred mentioned that 'it's not easy being a woman'. Which got me thinking--what if someone has gotten her pregnant. So then I had to figure out who exactly the culprit was. And it was too convenient that Jason was all of the sudden willing to help me out with a case a few months after Tim's injury. At first, I thought it was because of Tim, but once I saw Jason and Stephanie interacting it became clear to me that he was only helping me so he could see 'her'."

"So, you figured all that out and didn't bother to loop me in?!"

Bruce looks up through his lashes. "I was struggling with denial, Dick."

~*~ 

The very next day. I am walking down the hall to the kitchen and stop just as I pass the library room. Jason is standing in front of the bookshelf scanning the titles of the books. He pulls one off the shelf and flips through the pages. Dust flies up from the disturbance. "Ugh." he hisses to himself, still unaware I'm watching from the doorway. He puts the book down and grabs the duster sitting on one of the end tables. He climbs up the ladder to the top and starts pulling a few books off the shelf. Then begins dusting the shelf and then each individual book before placing it back where it belongs, carefully.

"What'cha doing?" I asked as he looks back at me.

"Dusting."

"Yeah, I see that, but why?"

"Because those good-for-nothing 'staff members' haven't dusted this place probably since I died... Guess they thought they could get away with it since I wasn't around to keep them honest."

"Nothing goes unnoticed by you, huh, Jay?"

"Is there something you needed?"

I try not to frown while wondering why he's acting so distant. "I was just wondering if you wanted to spend some time together?" I lean back against the door frame with my arms resting behind me.

"Um, not right now," he said, with his attention mostly on the books. "Maybe later." he glances back at me, reinforcing his meaning that he's wanting to be left alone.

I'm starting to wonder if he's mad at me because Tim told him about our kiss, not realizing the importance it would have to Jason? Or maybe he's just worried about Tim finding out about our relationship? Whatever it is, it feels like he's been drifting further and further away from me since Tim woke up from comatose. He won't even try to meet up with me in secret for romance. But whatever it is failing us, why won't he just talk to me about it? Make things clear. Define his reasons. Communicate. I suddenly become overwhelmingly angry with how neglectful he's been of 'us' lately, so I march towards him no longer letting him get away with treating me like this. "If you don't want to spend time with me because you're tired of me already or trying to punish me for something, then just say so!"

He looks back at me again. "I'm not tired of you or trying to punish you for anything. I'm just... taking care of these antique books. Somebody has to."

"They're books, Jason! How can some stupid old books be more important than me?!"

He shuts the book with a snap and stares at me. "They're not more important than you. They're just an important task. Some of these are so rare there are less than a hundred copies left in the entire world. And they're left here going to dust." I stare at him, dumbfounded by his nerdgasm.

"A little dust isn't going to kill them, Jason. But neglecting our relationship will definitely kill 'us'!" I hiss the warning then turn around to leave but am met by Alfred standing in the doorway eavesdropping. I feel embarrassed that he saw me acting jealous over the attention Jason is giving his books rather than me. So I quickly march past him before he says anything about it.

Alfred looks back at Jason as he continues nurturing his papered idols. "She's right, you know?"

"Alfred, stay out of it."

"As you wish... Just don't come crying to me when she finds the love and attention she's seeking in the arms of another young man." Jason looks over at the old man, their eyes staying on each other for a second before Alfred narrows his eyes with disapproval and turns to leave the room. Jason sighs and puts the book he was holding back on the shelf and continues dusting.

~***~ 

Just outside of Wayne manor. Conner pulls up in his small ford, with the windows rolled down and music blaring. Tim grabs his crutch and pulls himself to his feet and walks up to the car and gets in on the passenger side as Conner turns down the music. 

"So why did you not want to fly, again?" Conner asked.

"Because" Tim puts the crutches in the back seat. "you're clumsy, and I don't want to run the risk of getting another head injury."

"Okay. So where to?"

Tim puts his phone on the GPS holder. "Just follow the GPS... And when we get there, you're staying in the car."

"Get where?"

"To Miss Grace Morrison's house."

"Who now?"

"The woman that Jason was corresponding with?"

"Oh... What are we looking for with her?"

"Dirt on Jason."

"Uh, could you be less vague? Exactly why do you think this lady is going to have dirt on him?"

Tim sighs, annoyed that Conner can't keep up. "Because she said in the email, 'I love you'."

"Okay, but what's the crime in that?"

"What kind of person says 'I love you' to the opposite sex unless they have romantic feelings or they're your mom?"

"Uh, a lot of people?"

"Pfft."

"Hey, maybe they're relatives."

"Jason doesn't have any. And considering the way Jason treats people in general, she and he must have significant feelings for each other if someone cares enough about him to say they 'love' him."

"Ouch... But still, Tim, he never said it back."

"She's still worth investigating. Oh, and did I forget to mention that I discovered he gave a rather large paycheck to her?"

"Oh? How much?"

"Fifty-thousand dollars."

"Oooh. Yeah, that's suspicious."

"Yeah, and that's an understatement."

Forty-five minutes later they pull up to a small house in a cozy residential area, just outside of Gotham city. Tim gets out of the car and grabs his crutch. "Wait here." Conner looks offended. "What? You think I've forgotten how bad you are at going undercover? I'm not about to let you ruin this for me."

"Man, dude, you are so cranky. But fine, I'll stay here. As long as you promise to call for SuperMAN the moment things start going south for you."

"Conner, I am not calling you Superman."

"Fine! Just say, please hot ninja lady, spare a cute orphan boy like myself." he grinned. "Then I'll come smashing through the ceiling."

"I'm not an orphan. And what makes you think she's going to be a threat? This is exactly why you are waiting in the car, Conner. I don't want you scaring the lady off with your premature interrogation tactics."

"Tim, she's a friend of Red Hood's. Of course, she's going to be some deadly psychopath."

"Hey! If you insult every woman who's befriended Jason, you're insulting Stephanie... And me." he stabilizes himself on the single crutch then shuts the car door and walks up the steps to the house. He places three firm knocks on the front door. After ten seconds and no answer, he knocks again, this time, louder. A moment later a tall woman opens the door. Her hair is black and her eyes are almost as deep of a color and stand out against her pale complexion. "Hi, um, miss. Can I have a minute of your time?"

"No solicitors." She points to the mimicking sign by the doorbell then starts to close the door.

Tim puts his crutch in the door. "I'm not soliciting. I have reasons to believe you know my friend." She studies him and then looks to the car where she sees Conner waiting and watching. He grins and waves at her from the driver's seat. "His name is Jason Todd."

She looks back at Tim and the look in her eyes change: she knows him, and for some reason, she seems surprised by the fact that someone else does, too. "Um, yeah, I know him. What's this about? Did he get into some kind of trouble?"

"He, uh, went missing a few days ago. I was just wondering if you might have any idea of his whereabouts?"

"I don't. Sorry." 

"Oh, okay," Tim studies her expression, she seems reluctant to show her concern making Tim believe she's trying to protect Jason. "Well, if you see him could you let him know that a friend stopped by looking for-" Movement by her leg catches his eyes immediately as a toddler peeks around her leg. He looks up at Tim shyly. The color of his bright green eyes causes Tim to stare. That shade of green being so similar to Jason's own uniquely light color. On further observation he notices the kid's medium brown wavy locks being sorta like Jason's was when he was a kid. And apart from the pale skin, the boy looks nothing like his mother.

Tim realizes he's staring at the kid just as the woman interrupts. "Is something the matter?"

"Um, no... So what's this little guy's name?" He leans forward to embrace the kid, but he hides behind his mother's leg. He can't help but analyze the boy's distrusting nature as being another trait he has in common with Jason.

"Jay."

Tim looks up with bulging eyes, surprised by the overwhelming familiarities. "How old is he?"

"He'll be two in a couple weeks." She studies the look on Tim's face then surprises him with what she says next. "Would you like to come in for some tea?"

"Uh... yeah. I would like that a lot. Thank you." He steps in and follows her to the family room.

"Take a seat while I put some water on."

He nods and does so but slowly, trying to observe all that he can about the place before sitting down. There are only photos of her son on the walls, and a few of her with her son. No other photos of family members or friends, or of an adult male who would potentially be the father of the child. She appears to be a single parent and there is no evidence in this house that Jason is involved in her life: other than the two-foot tall living and breathing doppelganger.

Unnoticed by Tim, the woman watches from the hallway as he sits down on the couch, still looking the place over. She pulls out a knife from the drawer in the table that is against the wall in the foyer and quietly steps closer to Tim from behind, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Tim is now watching the kid who is leaning against the other couch across the room, staring back at Tim tentatively. He smiles at him and then the toddler starts to smirk in response. Almost like he knows something devilish. He grabs one of his toys off the couch and brings it to Tim and sets it on his lap. "For me? Well, thank you very much." The toddler grins and walks away in a quick and sturdy pace, appearing to be very athletic for his age and Tim can't help but relish in the fact that he probably just hit the jackpot with this lead. He's already planning on how he's going to break the tragic news to Stephanie.

The kid grabs another toy and runs to Tim and sets it on his lap. "Oh, another one? Thank you." The child smirks and runs over to grab another toy and then brings it to him again. He begins to feel slightly overwhelmed with this kid's redundant generosity. 

The woman witnessing her child taking such a liking to this stranger, and so quickly too, softens her heart. So she decides to investigate why this young man is really looking for Jason Todd. She puts the weapon into the thigh holster under her skirt and leaves to go put water on the stove.

A minute later she returns to the family room to see Tim's lap filling up with toys. "Jay, you don't need to be giving all your toys away. I'm sure Tim has plenty at home." She grinned. Tim hides his frown on his face as he tries to remember if he gave his name to her. She walks to the family room and sits down in a rocking chair across from him.

"So, Jay? That's a peculiar name. Is he named after someone?"

"He's named after our mutual friend... Jason Todd."

"Oh, wow." he grins, still savoring the fact that the dirt on Jason is all self-affirming all on its own. "That's quite the honor. He never told me about the kid."

"Well, as you may already know, Jason's always been a really private guy."

"True... So, how well do you know him?"

"We met when we were kids back when we were living in a rough neighborhood." She said in a flat tone. "I lost track of him, though. Found out a few years later he was living with Bruce Wayne. Gotham's own billionaire. Can you imagine that?"

"Quite the Cinderella story, isn't it?"

"Yeah... Until one day I just stopped hearing about him. Rumors have it he went to some fancy school overseas and never came back... So." she sighs and leans back in her chair. "How do you know him?"

"We met through his family a few years ago." She nods, accepting the explanation without signs of doubt. "Biological family." He clarified to mislead, "So were- uh, you and Jason ever 'close'?"

"Yes. Not long ago."

"Oh?" He tries to figure out her mannerism and if what she said was an innuendo. He looks back at the kid standing by the other couch as he plays with a toy car in one hand and a doll in the other. He grabs the doll and pulls it's head off. TIm's given reason to believe that he might grow up to be just as violent as Jason. "So." he laughs nervously, "Exactly how well do you know Jason?—nowadays, I mean."

"Not very well. He stopped by awhile back. I could see why he was trying to stay out of the public's eye. He was a wreck. And I'm talking aside from the scars... He had a gunshot wound and refused to let me take him to the hospital. I knew he had to have been mixed up with a bad bunch. But, I said I would help because... well, who am I to judge? Life on the streets of Gotham can change you from the very core of your being... So, I let him stay as long as he needed to."

"When was that?"

She looks slightly startled by the question. "... A couple years ago."

"So how long did he stay?"

"What are you a cop?"

"No, not at all... I'm just trying to track him down and any information you have might help... I'm worried about him."

"So you keep saying," she said, now boldly showing her keen perception that something is off about Tim's intentions. He can't help but wonder why she wasn't so wise when it came to letting Jason into her life again, or worst—into her bed. "He stayed about a week. And then he just up and disappeared on me. No goodbye, nothin."

"Sorry to hear that... He does that a lot actually. Never thinks to tell people of his plans. I wouldn't take it personally, though." 

"I took it very personally."

Tim studies her face and then looks over at the kid before slowly looking back at her again. "So, um, have you seen him at all since then?"

She hesitates just long enough to confirm Tim's suspicions. "No... Why do you ask?"

"Um, just wondering."

She lights a cigarette and leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Do you really think he's in some kind of trouble?"

Tim hesitates, not sure how much he should risk telling. He's never been very good at lying on the spot, and he's also half distracted by the fact that she's exposing her son to secondhand smoke. "He's always in some kind of trouble." Just as he said it, he sees the toddler drawing on the couch with a permanent marker.

She nods accepting the vague but truthful response. "Old habits die hard, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so... Uuh," Tim nods towards the kid.

She looks towards the couch, seeing what her son has done. She jumps to her feet and slaps him on the butt hard a few times, making Tim cringe, but the boy remains dephased by it until she takes his entertainment away, then he starts crying. "Bad boy! You know better than that." She sighs and then sets the marker up high so he can't reach it then returns to her seat. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay." He looks back at the kid only to see him pulling a barstool from the other room out into the right spot and starts climbing up to reach the marker. Jay looks back at his mother, scowling at her defiantly. She gets out of her seat again and this time, she grabs a large wooden cooking spoon off the coffee table and spanks him harder. "I said 'NO'." Tim cringes even more at seeing such a young child being spanked, and so hard too. Jay screams either from the pain or just as likely (if he's anything like Jason) from his plan being foiled. She sets him on the ground and he throws himself to the floor dramatically as she rushes the stool out of the room. She comes back in and Jay looks up at her calming down a little, but still whining and begging for her attention, and when she ignores him and sits back down, he stops crying and gets up. Tim keeps his eyes on the kid, expecting round two of defiance but the boy just goes back to playing with his headless doll and toy car.

The woman watches and takes another drag of her cigarette, and Tim coughs just as the smoke finally reaches his nose. He waves his hand through the air. "Um, I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you know who fathered your baby?"

Her face turns tense with disbelief at what she thinks he's meaning. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, oh, I wasn't implying that you were a whore or anything." she raises her eyebrows. "I just thought maybe you had a one-night-stand with a guy or something like that. It happens. I'm not judging you." she still seems entirely resistant of his question now. So he tries to avoid the tension by going the comedic route before she kicks him out of her house. "Uh, I know that at first glance you might mistake Jason as being the asexual type like I did, but then you eventually learn that he's really just a pro for one-night-stands. You think you know a guy, you know what I mean?" He grins. Unfortunately, he's never funny when he's trying to be.

She smiles sarcastically. "No, I don't."

"Uh... I'm sorry if I offended you. I was just—I'm sorry—could you just give me your baby daddy's name?" he accidentally blurted out. He feels awful now, mainly because he accused Conner of being the one who would mess this up, and here he is messing it up gloriously all on his own.

"Excuse me, but how is that your business?"

"Well, I don't mean to be nosy, it's just whatever concerns Jason, concerns me." Tim starts rambling. "Cuz I'm his friend, and I couldn't help but notice he made a rather large payment to you about a year ago. Enough money that would pay for a place like this one, rent, and utilities for about at a year or two. And you're unemployed at the moment, so you can understand why I came for a visit. That's a lot of money to give to someone who stitched you up."

She rises to her feet sternly and holds her chin high while she looks down at him. "I think it's time you leave."

"I'm so sorry I've offended you. I know he's got some cash to blow so I wasn't trying to judge you for accepting the money, I was just trying to understand why you're so special to him-" he sees her hand rest on her outer thigh as a dangerous look shows in her eyes. He just now notices the battle scars on her knuckles and recognizes the pattern of the scars. She's been trained in the deadly arts of war. As much as he hates admitting it to himself, the fact remains that Conner was right: she's probably a ninja. The three full inches she has on Tim reminds him that he's nowhere near a match, not in his presently feeble condition. He also doesn't want to scare away his only lead to justice any more than he already has. She'll probably bar up her windows or disappear before Tim can collect real evidence proving the child is Jason's.

"Get out of my house... Now." she hissed.

"All right. I'm going." 

She follows him to the door and just before he opens it she pushes him up against the wall with a knife at his throat, causing him to drop his crutch. "How much do you really know about my connection to Jason?"

"Connection? I know nothing about you other than the money he gave you! I'm just his concerned friend. And I'm just trying to find out where he disappeared to." She studies his face, her fury fading slightly. "Who the hell are you, lady?" he plays ignorant.

She smirks. "Hn, lucky for you, 'Drake'. Jason said he would kill anyone who kills you. He never once promised that about any of his other associates."

For the slightest moment, Tim feels flattered that Jason would request something like that of his friends, but he's definitely going to give Jason in ear full if he finds out he told this woman his secret identity. "So why did he feel the need to tell you my name?"

She laughs, overly amused by the question. "He really didn't tell you about me at all?"

"No."

"Well, I know everything important about you. I almost didn't recognize you at first, now that you lost your baby-face." She pushes the blade against his throat, slightly breaking the skin. "I can't help but wonder, though... why does he care about you so much? You don't seem like anything special... And trust me, he's had lots of persuasions to care about things he 'should' care about... But I guess he's just one of those people who really doesn't give a damn about a whole lot of shit."

"Yeah, well, he's a sociopath. So no-duh."

She smirks. "Mmh, I'm having such an itch to slice you up... But-" she lets go of him. "I don't want to make matters worst between Jason and me. He's already hard enough to get along with as is."

"Why are you trying to get along with him at all?"

"Let's just say we both have 'something' that the other wants."

"So you guys are friends with benefits, huh?"

She leans in and smirks. "No... Think 'bigger', Drake... Much bigger."

~***~

Wayne Manor is quiet this evening, so Jason slips away unnoticed and climbs the stairs to the top floor then walks down the hall until he reaches the end. There's a small attic door above. He reaches up and pulls the door down and then unfolds the ladder and climbs up. He glances around the dusty attic, then looks to one corner reminiscing to another time when he used to stash his food up here his first year living at the manor. He stored it just for insurance that if he had to runaway at a moments notice, he'd have some food to hold him over, at least until he could find more. Alfred eventually found his stashing place and told Bruce. And they both reassured him this was his home no matter what he ever did wrong: this would 'always' be his home. He's sure when they said that, they didn't foresee him turning into a killer.

He walks to the small window at the end of the attic and opens it then slides through the opening and pulls himself up and onto the roof. He stands up on the slanted rooftop and walks to his favorite spot, right above the large patio in the backyard, where he would often escape to when Bruce Wayne would have large parties. Jason never felt comfortable as a teenager surrounded by snobby old rich people, so when the discomfort became too much he would slip away from the party unnoticed, and come up here to watch the glamor from a comfortable distance.

Now, he sits down on the slant and lays back and gazes up at the array of colors that stretch across the sky originating from the setting sun. His thoughts drift to Stephanie and Tim. It's imminent that he makes a decision. This is his last chance to find a way out of what he set in motion. He's trying to make sure he's not making any decision with his heart. Last time he did it, it got him nowhere: only resentment from his family. And the time before that it got him killed. He's never been in love before, but this all feels so painfully familiar. Maybe Stephanie is worth all the risk, though, maybe he doesn't deserve much, but she deserves to be happy. And if she finds that happiness with him, so be it. Then again, he can't help but doubt that she really could love him as much as she claims. Falling in love maybe one of the scariest things he's ever experienced, but Stephanie took a leap of faith and puts so much trust in him. Isn't it time he tries to be that man who is deserving of her trust?

He sighs, "What the hell am I doing?" He sits up and pulls out a pack of cigarettes and placed one between his lips while he feels around in his pocket for the light. "I'm just going to screw this up," he mumbled to himself with the cigarette still between his lips. "I can already see the judgmental look on everyone's face when I disappoint her." he shakes his head. "Bet Tim will be smiling..." he flicks the lighter but it fails to ignite. "And Dick will probably make some kind of remark on my way out the door which will 'definitely' provoke me into strangling him." He flicks the lighter again as the flame forms and reaches up towards the sky. He cups one hand to block the wind then stares at the flame as it flickers and waves an inch from the cigarette. He studies it's glow as it soothes his aching soul and enables him to think more clearly. He lets loose of the trigger and the flame dies, the cigarette remaining unlit and shoved back into its pack, then tossed off the roof. He leans back and takes in the sight of the beautiful heavens above. "All for her... Or nothing at all."

~*~

A few hours later and Two stories down. The day had been most uneventful for me. I stayed in my room and sat on my bed reading, trying to distract myself from this extreme distress I'm feeling inside. I'm mad at myself for telling Dick. I know he's a walking time-bomb with the information about me being pregnant. And I'm still mad at Jason for neglecting me. I still can't figure out how in the world Dick figured out I'm pregnant before Jason, though? Is Jason really that naive? Does he not know what morning sickness is, or notice that I've gained weight? I'd think he would know better than anyone. Maybe he already knows and is just waiting for me to tell him? Or maybe he's just living in denial because he doesn't want a kid?

I desire so much to be close to him right now: to know him, but some reason he's pushing me away. Maybe I'm overreacting or maybe he just has something on his mind. I can't help but feel frustrated that he won't share it with me. I need to tell him about Tim kissing me, and that I let him. I need to find relief for the guilt I'm feeling, but suddenly a loud knock on my door brings me out of my rapidly-spiraling-down thoughts. "Come in."

Tim opens the door. He's in his wheelchair and rolls himself inside my room. I feel butterflies in my stomach at seeing him, but I try to remain as collective as possible. "Tim, you're back. Did you have fun hanging out with Conner?" I find myself really hoping they were honestly 'hanging out' and not trying to frame Jason for something. He remains silent, something clearly bothering him. "Is everything okay?"

"Is it alright that I'm here?"

"Yeah, of course," I said, while still trying to convince myself that I'm not lying.

"Well, you ran off for a day and a half. I just assumed because of that night." I inhale sharply as he positions himself in front of me. I sit back down on the bed slowly. "Steph... There are a few things you need to know."

"Tim-" I shake my head not wanting to start a deep conversation that will only tax my already strained emotions, but he interrupts me.

"You need to hear what I discovered... I wouldn't be a good friend unless I told you."

"Okay?... What is it?"

"Jason said stuff about you that I found disturbing."

"Oh...Well, who cares what Jason says? He's an asshole." I try to play it safe still and pretend Jason has nothing to do with why I ran away crying after Tim kissed me, but then my curiosity starts nagging at me until it finally gets the better of me. "What did he say?"

"I talked to him-..." He doesn't finish his sentence as he seems to disappear into a dark crevice in his mind.

"About?"

"You."

"Um... What about me?"

"I know about you two... I put it together with Jason and Dick's help."

I start breathing heavily with anxiety. I'm not angry with either of them but I wish Jason had at least warned me before hinting anything to Tim. I suddenly feel ashamed that Tim didn't hear it from me. "Tim."

"It's okay... I don't blame you at all... I know he's attractive. Mysterious. And everything you like in a guy... But... I 'do' blame Jason... Entirely." his eyes turn glossy. "I was going to tell you everything he said about you. But I'm wrong... because it wouldn't be fair to you."

"No... No, the truth is what's fair." I reach forward and touch his hand. "What did he say?"

"He said that—what happened between the two of you was just a fling. That he was just being a guy and having his fun with you."

I'm taken aback, completely appalled. It can't be true but Tim wouldn't lie to me, would he? Jason would probably lie if he thought it was justifiable, but he's not stupid. He had to have known Tim would come running to me with this information. So why would he tell Tim this? Is this Jason's dysfunctional way of breaking up with me? I exhale my steam, trying not to start crying about my frustrations.

A look in Tim's eyes tells me he's holding something else back. "I just thought you should know." he starts to roll away but then stops. "He also knew I was in love with you." Tim looks back at me. "And he still pursued you... I will never forgive him for that."

"Tim, don't..." tears finally find their way to freedom and start rolling down my cheeks.

"Why not?... It makes me so angry that neither of you love me in the way I love the two of you..." He looks down at his knees ashamed of his confession and tears fall from his eyes.

"Tim, please... I know right now you are mad at him, but there are things that aren't mine to tell. And you need to give him time to explain everything to you. You never know when something might happen to h-"

"Explain what exactly?! He already did, Steph!" he snapped, then glances away from me to cool down then he rolls his wheelchair closer to me. "I can't leave here without telling you how I really feel." He throws a recorder down on my bed. "I want Jason gone. I want him to pay for what he's done to our relationship. For stealing your love from me... He's not good enough for you... He never will be."

I turn away from him, to hide the heartbreak on my face. This hurts so much more hearing it come from Tim than it did from Dick.

"I'm in love with you, Stephanie." I look up at the wall and try not to show him my expression. "You must know... that I've always been in love with you... I know you feel something between us, too... And I can't get over the fact that 'he' took you from me... I... hate him."

I turn back to face him. "Tim, don't."

"Please hear me out... Jason is a total douche. Just listen to the recording if you don't believe me." he nods towards the recorder on my bed. "You deserve better than him... I just need to know one thing... Is there any possibility, at all, that one day you might love me the way I love you? If not just say so... But if you want me to wait until you figure things out, I will wait... But please... don't let me have hope where there is none."

I bite my tongue, trying to figure out what to say, but Tim keeps talking, and the dread keeps rising.

"I want to win your heart fair and square. I want you to have the qualities that you admire in a guy. Qualities that I know I don't have. Qualities that Jason does... But I can't let you make a mistake like Jason. Because that wouldn't be fair to either of us... So I'm asking you once and for all."

"Tim, please," I whisper to keep my voice from shaking while the tears stream down my face.

"Do you... love me?..."

I slowly sit down on my bed. "Tim..." he's breaking my heart. I don't know how to tell him the complicated truth. I would say to him, it's not just about love, but that would be running the risk of having to tell him about the baby. And I can't do that to him. The last thing I want to do is make things more complicated than they already are.

"It's simple. You either do or you don't. I know you don't want to hurt my feelings but I need to know." he scoots his wheelchair as close to me as he can possibly get. "Do you love me?"

"I... I... do." I feel it in my heart that there's something between Tim and I. There always has been. But there's something about Jason that makes up all my fantasies. He's dangerous, but there's something exciting about that danger. I'm sitting here stuck between the romances and adventures Jason has to offer, but with all that comes a lot of risks. And with Tim, he offers not the greatest romances maybe, but stability, friendship, openness. It's like every weakness Jason has is Tim's strength and vice versa. And I want both, but most of all, I don't want to hurt either of them.

I become aware of Tim's lustful expression. He scoots to the end of his wheelchair and leans forward embracing me. He lays a kiss on my lips and I give into temptation and test the waters, once more. He's a lot better compared to his first harsh kiss we shared from the other night.

Suddenly I realize what I'm doing, and how much this would hurt Jason if he knew. I pull away and flimsily slap Tim on the cheek. He's stunned for a moment and I can see his heart breaking inside. "I... I didn't mean to hit you." I try to touch his cheek but he pulls away from me.

"Yes, you did..." 

"You don't understand. It's not lack of love for you... It's just that I... I love Jason in a way that I have never loved anyone before... And I don't want to hurt him... I'm so sorry."

"So you don't mind hurting me?"

I'm speechless for a moment. "No! That is not what I'm saying!"

"I don't understand why is he so important to you? I guarantee you that you are not as important to him!"

I clench my fist, trying to resist the urge to slap him again. "There are a lot of reasons why-"

"Then tell me. Explain to me what you see in him!"

"No."

"Yes! I can handle it!"

"No, apparently you can't!" I hissed.

"Yes, I can! Stop treating me like I'm some fragile kid or something! I can be just as 'callus' as Jason!" His tears turn into bitterness before my eyes.

I respond with a calm tone trying to calm him down before this escalates any further. "No, you can't... And that's what I love about you, Timothy Drake..." I reach out and brush my hand on his cheek. "But I also love Jason. And I know how he feels about me... And if there is one thing I know for sure... it's that Jason is his own worst enemy. And he doesn't know how to communicate what he feels, and so he avoids the uncomfortable conversations." Tim looks down thinking about it. He was friends with Jason before I was, and he knows what I'm saying is true. "I'm... sorry, Tim."

"But... I love you... I love you more than he is capable of loving anyone!"

My sympathy quickly turns sour, as I try not to get angry with him for saying that. "Stop... You're making this worst."

"He doesn't deserve you! He never has and he never will! Don't you understand that?!"

"TIM!" I shout, shaking with frustration. A look of shock comes over his face again, then it quickly turns into sorrowful tears as he drops his head down. "I'm sorry..."

He blinks the tears out of his eyes. "I hope you two will be happy together." he turns and tries to leave the room as fast as he can go in his wheelchair.

"Tim, wait!" I become overwhelmed with emotions and cry but he doesn't stop, and the door slams behind him.

Did I really just lose him? Does he just need time to cool off? I feel so frustrated that I hurt my best friend. Soon enough my mind drifts to all the things he said about Jason. I look at the recorder on my bed and pick it up and push play; hearing a conversation between Jason and Tim, and he's right, Jason sounds like a total douche. I clench my fist. I know in my heart that it can't be true, but what if I'm just fooling myself, again? I race down to the cave to look for Jason and confront him about what he said.

The elevator doors open and I take a deep breath then walk towards the stairs where I look down to the bottom level of the Batcave and see Jason finishing up working on the batmobile. His shirt is off as he starts gathering tools and tossing them into the toolbox. He walks to the sink and leans over and washes and dries his face. I gallop down the stairs as he pulls a clean shirt over his head.

"Jason!"

He looks in my direction as I march towards him with fury. "Steph?" I slap him as hard as I can, in complete contrast to how I slapped Tim, causing my own hand to continuously sting and tingle in pain. My hand print forms on his cheek within seconds. He looks back at me, not looking at all surprised by my actions. "I take it you talked to Tim?"

"Yes! He told me what he thought about you. And he showed me the recording! Why did you say those things?!" I push him, but he remains grounded. "Was there truth in it?!"

"Not entirely."

"Not entirely?!" I hissed. Boy, he's really going to get it.

"I'll admit. When we first met, I barely noticed you. I saw you as nothing more than my friend's annoying little sister." I roll my eyes and cross my arms, I 'know' that's what he was thinking about me. "Then one day I noticed you... Soon after that, you kissed me, and one thing led to another... but I never thought I'd see you again." I shouldn't be shocked especially since my intentions weren't much different than his, to begin with, but at least I would have had the decency to tell the person I slept with that I don't plan on continuing our relationship, instead of disappearing on them. He inches closer to me. "But then I couldn't get you out of my head... And decided to take Bruce up on his offer of partnering on a case. So I came back. While still trying to fight my newly awoken feelings for you. Feelings of lust and love... And a desire for a future with you... And then somewhere along the way... I fell in love with you... And I know I've been an ass the last few days, and I know sorry doesn't change anything... But I 'am' sorry, Steph... I only exaggerated the truth to Tim because the kid was heartbroken. And I'd rather him believe I'm a total dick than what I really am."

"Which is what?" I narrow my eyes on him, debating on which moment I should punch him in the face, or maybe the balls.

"A traitor... I betrayed his trust. His friendship. That's why I had planned on running away, to begin with. Because after the deed was done I felt so guilty."

"Oh, I see. So you 'lied' to him because that's so much better?!"

"Yes!... I broke his heart!... And I know I've already broken yours... At least this way after I'm dead you two can-..."

I frown. "Can what?"

"Can maybe find love." he rubs his stinging cheek.

"What?"

"If he thinks you just got screwed over by me then he'll most likely see you as guiltless. And then you guys can, I don't know, go on a date or something."

"A date?" I honestly can't believe he just said that. It's almost like he's low-key dictating my life.

"Yeah. You should explore the relationship a little. Maybe fall in love and find happiness... Be happier than me and you ever could be. That's what I want for you... And for Tim."

I can feel his sincerity in his vibrations and my anger quickly melts into compassion. What's wrong with me? Why do I always fall for him so quickly? Is this what chemistry feels like? He becomes solemn as he reaches up and brushes my cheek and I gaze into his eyes. He smiles softly as I place my hand on top of his for a moment and desire arises in me. He reads the look on my face and pulls away from me, putting more space between us.

"Tim is a good guy. There's not many of them around nowadays... I owe him my life. Literally. He was only on that rooftop to defend me... when I didn't even deserve it, and it ended with him being in a coma. And how do I repay him? By sleeping with the one girl he was ever in love with." His eyes begin to mist. "I won't ever forgive myself for that... And you shouldn't forgive me either."

My eyes fill with tears as I finally catch a glimpse into the chinks in his armor. He sees my tears but doesn't dare comfort me. He turns away from me and sniffles as he starts wiping the batmobile down with a rag.

"Stop it," I said. He pauses and looks at me. "I am sick of 'you', and Dick, and Tim 'all' telling me who I should or shouldn't love! Jason, you're a shitty guy, I know that. Heck, the whole freaken world knows it! But don't you dare try to push me away because of your guilt! Yeah, you screwed up. We 'both' did! It happened... But we still 'can' make good out of our wrongdoing." He starts to weigh what I said, and I see the curiosity worn on his brows. I walk towards him and brush my hand against his cheek as he leans against my gentle touch. "So don't you dare try to tell me who to choose... because I've already chosen you."

His eyes fill with more tears but he remains silent for a moment. "But just because we 'can' doesn't mean we 'should', Steph." He steps back away from me and then sighs. "Aside from the devastation it would have on Tim, I don't know how sick I'm going to get... or when... But after seeing everything Tim went through, him having to rely on others for everything. Food and water, a dry bath, and having people change the accidents he made on the sheets... It terrified me... knowing I'll probably be in that same situation one day... And nothing terrifies me more than being 'helpless' and unable to take care of myself. And relying solely on others... I don't want those things to be the last days we spend together. I don't want you to sacrifice your happiness or chance to be loved by a really good guy who 'actually' deserves you, so you can clean up my messes." His voice gets raspier and raspier the more he cries. "And if I love you... then that means I can't put you through all that."

My own tears distort my vision as I reach forward grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him into a hug. My head is pressed to his chest, and I feel the warmth and the pounding of his heart coming from him. "But I love you, Jason. Of course I'm going to do those things for you. Even if you don't want me to."

He laughs through his tears and kisses the top of my head. "I know... And that's why I can't let you."

"But I can't lose you—for any reason. I just can't, Jason." I pull away to look at his expression and place a hand on his cheek. "Please, let Bruce help you find a cure. Please, I'm begging you... Our life is just beginning! We're just beginning to live! You can't leave me alone. Let us help you search for a cure?... Just please... don't leave me." I bury my face against his chest and sob, mumbling my plead over and over. "Please, Jason... I can't lose you. Please."

"Okay..." He sniffled.

I pull my head away and look up at him. "Yeah?"

He nods, "Yeah... I'll let Bruce do what he thinks is right in order to find a cure."

"YES!" I scream with joy and jump on him. He's so pathetic that he actually looks surprised and flattered by my reaction. Why did he expect anything less from his lover? I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips. My life is finally getting brighter. I know it doesn't mean he's going to be cured, but at least now there's hope. I jump off him and immediately say, "I need to go tell Bruce." Jason pulls on my arm to get me to halt. I look back at him and see that he's no longer sharing my glee anymore.

"Steph... There is something else you need to know." he inhales strongly. "There's a lot of thing's I haven't had time to tell you about. And I honestly don't know if I'll ever get the time."

"Whatever it is, it can wait until after we find you a cure." I try to leave again, not wanting to deal with whatever it is, but he pulls me back again.

"It can't wait that long."

I look back at him and suddenly my stomach is turning into knots. "Okay. What is it?"

He hesitate. "Um...M-most of the Doctors that Bruce had coming have already seen me. They couldn't help before so I doubt that's changed. My chances of finding a cure are much less likely than you think. I just don't want you to have high hopes."

"We are going to find you a cure.” I place a hand on his cheek with contentment as his green eyes become soft with hope, or love. “Even if I have to put you in a Lazarus pit myself."

"Steph, there's a lot more."

"I don't want to hear it." He frowns at my response. "All I care about is that I'm happiest when you're here with me. And unless you're cheating on me, it can wait." He laughs with tears still in his eyes. I stand on his toes and lean in slowly, hungry for a kiss from him. He gingerly brushes his hand against my cheek then meets me half way, satisfying me with a passionate kiss. I pull away slowly then lay my head on his shoulder and wrap my arms around his strong torso. "We are going to figure this out. You can't ever give up... Promise me that." I pull away to look him in the eye.

His brows are furrowed as he nods. "I promise."

I inch close to his lips and kiss him again. It grows more passionate as he holds me in his arms. My emotions and bodily desire are so stirred that I jump up on him again, and he clasps his hands under my butt to support me as I wrap my legs around his hips. My kisses go to his cheek and then down under his jaw and then back up to his lips again. He kisses me deeply and then we rest our lips together for a few moments and breathe in each other's souls. "Do you want to go up to my room?" He whispers hungrily, his eyes remaining closed while he holds me.

I smirk and brush my finger against his lips as he opens his eyes. "Show me what kind of man you are." He smirks and accepts my challenge with confidence. I giggle as he switches my position to bridal style and then races up the stairs carrying me to his room.

~M~

I open the door as he carries me through the doorway and then he kicks the door shut behind himself. He drops me on the bed. I scoot backward and grin as he crawls towards me. He places a kiss on my lips. It's sweetness and passion as he goes down my neck and starts to fondle my breast gently with one hand, causing a shiver to run down my spine. He slides a hand under my shirt and slowly lifts my shirt up and then over my head, and replaces my shirt with the warmth of his body and gentle kisses on my chest.

My fingers lace through his hair as I become hungry to touch and see his muscular build. "Take off your shirt." My words carry softly through the dim and quiet room. He stands up on his knees and takes his shirt off and tosses it to the side, revealing his ripped muscles. I run my hands down and then back up his abs and pecks, feeling his strength and growing more lustful by the second. My heart starts racing with excitement as I undo his belt and then unbutton and zip his pants. He reaches down to undo my pants as well, then pulls them down and throws them to the side. I smirk as he leans over me with a deep kiss and his hand goes down the length of my body, blindly feeling my curves. 

He scoots down slowly, gently peppering my body with kisses. He looks up through his lashes and kisses my stomach then goes lower and lower. I can't help but question how much lower he's planning on going and to my surprise, he does. He pulls down my lace underwear and tosses them to the side then places a kiss on my delicate, and drawing my breath from my lungs. He looks back up at me and waits for my consent to continue, I nod, both anxious and excited. He parts his lips and kisses me again gently while keeping his eyes on me to see how I'm receiving it.

"Ohhh... Oh-gawd." I breathed the words. It feels amazing but it leaves me feeling more vulnerable than I have ever felt before. I feel insecure with him being that close to me, and I wonder if I look hot enough to him to please him too. I look down between my legs again to see him still watching me. He looks at my nakedness and wraps his arms around my thighs and starts sucking gently on me. My mouth gapes open as I arch my back and grab his hair and pull roughly, not entirely sure if I'm trying to encourage him or not. "Oh gawd, Jason!"

"You like that?" His raspy voice brings me back and reminds me that this isn't fantasy. 

I look down trying to find my voice. "Yeahhh." He sucks on my delicate for a moment more, then starts doing a new stroke with his tongue causing me to moan louder. "Uhmmhh, Jay!"

I've never had anyone do this for me before. My sexual history wasn't always the greatest with my previous boyfriends. But Jason is doing this for me, without me having to ask for it, and what's even more amazing is that he's never asked me to do this on him. I like this, and I love him. Yeah, he can be a little rough around the edges, but he's always trying to fulfill my dreams before I even dare to whisper them out loud to even myself. 

He switches between sucking, flitting and licking my delicate. "Mmh! Gawd!" I start to thrust up towards his mouth instinctively. "Jason! Oh, Jason!" I yell, not entirely aware of my volume. I thrust up, verging on total satisfaction as he clasps his hands around my hips trying to control my flailing about. "Oh, gawd!" I pull his hair roughly. "Nngh! Oh, oh-gaawd!... Mmh! Jay!" he reaches up and covers my mouth with one hand to muffle my calls, but his warm mouth doesn't leave my body, not even for a second.

After I stop yelling for a few moments he uncovers my mouth and clasps his hands around my waist once again to manage my wild thrusting and I return to excited moaning. My breath seems to supernaturally leave my lungs as I hit my orgasm, and my muscles began to spasm gloriously. "Awwahh! Ah!" My hips drop down to the mattress as I curl inward cradling his head with my body, then unfolding, relaxing and panting for air as my body continues to twitch slightly. I try to figure out what just happened because I've never hit an orgasm that quickly before. I smile. "Where did you learn how to do that?"

I hear him snickering and feel his damp cool breath on my wet skin for a few moments. I look down to see him watching me, his skin around his mouth slightly blemished red as he pants for air. He crawls up the length of my body and kisses me then sits up and starts to take off his pants. Just when I start to think that now I have to return the favor to get him as heated as I am, my thoughts are interrupted when I see his erection spring free. I almost laugh, entirely flattered that him giving me oral sex turned him on. He hovers over me then lays down on top of me and kisses my lips.

"I love you so much," I whispered, and wrap my arms around his neck, loosely hugging him.

He smiles softly at me while his lips tease mine, then he runs his fingers through my hair. "I love you, too... Now and always." My eyes begin to mist and his brows furrow with concern. "Are you all right?"

I nod and run my hands down to his chest and feel his heart pounding against my palm. I lift my head up and kiss him wanting to find that comfort to calm my worries. The worries of possibly not finding a cure and losing him. Of possibly raising our baby without him. And possibly losing Tim as a friend forever because of my love for Jason.

Jason kisses me deeply then pulls my leg into a better position. He breathes against my lips as we both open our eyes, partly. He holds himself up on an elbow and caresses my cheek and neck then lifts his body weight off me slightly, positioning himself for intercourse. We both look down between our bodies as he slowly presses into me. He looks up and gazes into my eyes as a short, quiet moan escapes both of our lips. He's learned to always take it slow at first with me, but the more I have sex with him the more adapted my body becomes to his larger size.

He closes his eyes and rest his forehead on mine and then breathes. "You okay?"

I nod and brush my hand on his cheek, catching the raised skin of one of his scars and then tracing it down his face until it disappears. "I'm finally okay."

He smiles softly and kisses me again then starts to pick up a rhythm gradually. Our breathing quickens as he rests his lips near my own for a moment, fully entwined in the sensation of our bodies being intimately united. We exchange a few kisses and then his head drifts to the side as he drags his open mouth across my jaw and then breathes into the pillow while he thrust into me, seeking his own fulfillment. I wrap one leg around his thigh to raise my pelvis and direct him into rubbing the right spot. "Oh gawd," I moaned and then wrap my hands around his neck and gently squeeze. The pleasure begins to reach perfection and our moans echo each other. "Awwhh don't stop."

He curls his hands into a strongly clenched fist, gripping the sheets as he moves inside me. I moan loudly and unashamed as he starts slowing down and then lifts his head and looks at me. He brushes his fingers through my hair, again. "I'm sorry," he said through his panting and gentler thrusting.

"No, I liked it." I wrap my legs around his waist, encouraging him to continue to be close to me as I tighten the sensation for him. He moans and laces his fingers through mine and puts them above my head and supports himself while he kisses me and moves at a moderate pace inside me. After a few minutes and both of us increasingly perspiring, he's nearing his own climax. "More!" I said, frantically needing him to rub me in the right way, so I push my pelvis down a little and he gets the hint. He scoots up a little to align his pelvis slightly above mine and starts moving with an up and down motion. We're almost cheek to cheek as he strokes in such a way that he simultaneously stimulates me in other places, too. "Oh, Gawd! Jason!" I feel my insides retract once again. "Awwh!" I moaned relief at obtaining more satisfaction. 

He moans too while moving inside me and he grips the sheets again as I rub my free hands down his back, feeling the strength in his back and dwelling on the feeling of how good it feels to trust someone like this. Someone who's two, maybe three times stronger than you, but you trust them not to hurt you when you're naked and vulnerable because you know them and you know they would never try to hurt you. Jason is the first guy I ever felt this way about, while in the sheets.

"I love you," he said with a choppy breath. He changes his rhythm and strokes powerfully in me a few more times then his exhale gets caught in his throat for a moment then I feel him ejaculate in me. It's the feeling of a high-pressure squirt, or at the weakest point—a soft warm tickle in me. Although it felt foreign to my body, it was a blissfully welcomed ten seconds of pure heaven. Our cheeks rest aside each other, as our mouths remain open, desperate for the oxygen we deprived ourselves of unintentionally. 

We both lay there, still panting for another minute as he remains in me, and his pulse slowing down. Our bodies start to relax after the exertion, then he turns his head towards me and caresses my face gently, as though I was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. "What do you want from me?" he said, quietly.

I gaze into his eyes, still unsure if he's talking about just in the moment or in general, but I choose to go with the latter, hoping the truth I'm about to tell him won't discomfite him. "All of your heart and soul." As poetic, or corny, as that may sound, it's the whole truth. I want to know him better than I know myself. I want to know him the way he always so easily knows me.

He studies my face measuring the sincerity, then brushes his thumb on my soft lips. "Then they are yours... Forever." He kisses me passionately and we linger in our love until we fall asleep in each other's arms. 

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on, the conflicts will lighten up... before they get worst. Mwahaha!


	21. Reverse Psychology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the wonderful night that Jason and Stephanie shared together, that has now solidified their relationship more, Jason is now set on the mission of making amends with Tim. But Tim has his own master plan and he's not giving up on Stephanie without a fight. By the end of the day, Stephanie finds herself in a confrontation about her secret, while Jason also finds himself in a totally different kind of confrontation.

Talia Al Ghul walks down the gritty streets of Gotham during the early morning wearing a long raincoat with her hands planted in the pockets. "Talia." One of her indebted deputies said as he walks towards her. "Six bodies found in one night. One of the six was found on the other side of Gotham with his face blown off. Time of death was an hour before these five victims." He leans in but makes it casual. "I think the sixth man is also one of yours... The cops have no idea what to make of the situation. They think it's just a gang war, and that the other was just a homicide. They haven't been able to connect the men to any of the gangs in Gotham yet." 

“Let me see the bodies.”

"Okay. There's three in the alley over there, and these two got the worst of it." He leads her to the other side of the car that's riddled with bullets. She stops in front of the meta and sighs; recognizing the gear on the hand that peeks out from the tarp. "Cali..." she grieved. 

“The other one had his head decapitated.”

Her eyes shoot up to the officer. “Let me see.”

He frowns. “Are you sure?”

She stares at him sharply, not willing to say it twice.

He nods and bends down removing the tarp that was covering the headless body. He gags at the sight and looks back at her while covering his mouth with his sleeve. "His head was found over there." He points a few feet away from them where the head is hidden under plastic. 

“Lift up his shirt.”

“What?” 

“I said, lift up his shirt.” she said sternly, growing irritated with this man's squeamishness. 

The cop leans forward and pulls up the headless man's shirt with his gloved hands, revealing smeared words written on his chest with blood. “Whoa.” His jaw drops in shock with what he discovers underneath. He reads the smeared words carefully, trying to figure out what it says. “Don't?... test me... again.” He looks up at Talia. “Wow, what kind of monster do you suppose did this piece of art?”

“He's not a monster... Just a formidable warrior... And apparently, there's been a huge misunderstanding.” She looks away and lowers her voice. “Hide the message and keep me posted.”

“Will do.” She turns to leave. “So, now that you're in Gotham, are you planning on staying long?” she looks back at him. “You can always crash at my place... if... you want?”

“I don't.”

~*~

I woke up just as it was getting light outside. I reach over to Jason's side of the bed to feel for his presence. My hand meets his soft chest, and almost instantly he reacts and grabs my hand while in the daze of sleep. It takes him two seconds to realize it's just me, then he lets go of my hand and rests his own on top of mine, gently. I turn my head towards him and peek my sleepy eyes open. He looks so peaceful laying there. I can't help but smile. I scoot towards him and lay my head down on his chest and wrap my arms around him. It feels so good to be here with him. I close my eyes and drift back to sleep. 

 

Next thing I know the alarm on the nightstand is going off. I reach over and turn it off then roll over to look at Jason, but the bed is empty and the sheets on his side are pulled up and tucked under the pillow. I sigh and sit up. I see my bathrobe folded and sitting on the end of the bed. I smirk to myself at the thoughtfulness of him getting it for me. But instead of racing to my bedroom to change, I decide to linger and ruffle through his dresser drawers. I grab one of his shirts and slide it over my head and then put my underwear on and go into the bathroom to refresh myself. 

I head back into his room and dig through his drawers a little longer out of pure nosiness. I'm surprised to find a rather large amount of weapons hidden under his very few clothing items. From two different handguns, aside from the ones on his holsters, several boxes of ammo, daggers, and ninja star darts; it appears he doesn't have much faith in Wayne Manor security. I snoop even further and eventually open the drawer that had the non-weaponry-jackpot. I dig through the drawer and find loose change, several syringes that are full of that mysterious serum that he claims is helping him, and two packs of unopened cigarettes. I catch myself glaring at the cigarettes. I grab them and walk to the bathroom and dump them in the sink then turn the water on to drown them for awhile before throwing them in the trash. 

I go back to his drawer and dig more. I find a small book. I pull it out and look at the title reading: The Holy Bible. I'm awestruck. He really doesn't strike me as a religious person, but boy oh boy, this is a, uh... surprise? Wasn't one of the commandments of God being 'thou shall not kill'? I frown and open to the first page, where it says 'from Mom' and then beneath that 'To Jason. My precious son'. It has a date on it dating back several years ago when Jason would have been about nine years old. It has a small section for notes and a message written on it saying 'I long for the day when all your dreams come true. I can't wait to see you become a Doctor and have that beautiful wife and three kids. And that big German Shepard named Bear. But above all else, I hope with all my heart that you will grow up to be a good and righteous man.' 

I sigh, feeling sorrow in the pit of my stomach. If only his mom lived long enough to see that he hasn't achieved any of it, and fortune has been most unkind to him. I wonder why she'd get him a Bible, though. Maybe she was afraid he was going to turn out to be a criminal just like his Dad and thought religion might put him on the straight and narrow path. I further examine the old worn book and flip through the pages curiously and find certain verses underlined, and questions written on the side with a colored ink pen asking skeptical questions he wanted someone to answer. I guess he did read the bible at one point in his life, but I've never heard him talk about religion or God. Now that I think about it, it's really odd he's never talked about those things, since he did die and saw what's on the other side. If there is anything. 

I place the book back in the drawer and then pick up a masculine looking necklace with an oblong pendant of silver. It has two thin rows of words engraved on it in a foreign language. 

عزيزي المحبوب؛ يبدو أننا بدأنا بالخطيئة ولكن حبي لك باق للأبد، لا تنسانا تاليا

I rub my finger across the two column engraving and grow curious as to where he would have gotten it and what it says. I suspect maybe from his days he spent with the league of assassins, maybe it was from a friend or a metal of honor of some sort. Next, I pick up a little box buried at the very bottom of the drawer and open it. A beautiful diamond ring glimmers back at me. My jaw drops in awe at its magnificence. A three karat diamond sits in the middle, framed by smaller diamonds. A ring fit for a princess. I start getting excited and decide to try it on. I slide the ring on for a minute, finding that it's just my size. I squeal and then admire it's beauty on my hand. I put it back and shut the drawer, grinning to myself and setting my heart on receiving it. 

I stand up and put my bathrobe on top of my half-dressed body. I go down the hall where I hear talking in Tim's room as I pass, so I stop and peek in. 

“Anything else I can get you?” Jason asked. 

“Uh, well if you wouldn't mind, I am starting to get hungry. Would you make me a double layer ham and cheese sandwich first?” Tim said, from his bed.

"Sure. I'll be right back." 

“And when you organize my closet, don't move the box sitting on the top shelf.” 

“Got it.” Jason and Tim both look at me while I walk into the room. The tension in the room grows rapidly, to the point that my emotions are so intense I start to feel nauseated, or maybe it's just my morning sickness. I honestly can't tell nowadays. Jason looks back at Tim then back at me and a gentle smirk appears on his face as he walks past me. "Anything I can get you, Steph?" 

I shake my head. For a couple moments, I catch his eyes and we both try to resist smiling at each other as we dwell on the events of last night. 

“Okay.” he walks past me, leaving me alone with Tim.

I rub my chilled arms as I try to think of something to say to Tim. I decide to act like our last few encounters never happened. “So... Are you guys getting along again?”

Tim looks at his magazine. “We have an understanding.”

“Oh, that's... good. That was short lived—not that I'm complaining... 'Cause I'm not.”

"You slept in late." he looks at me, up and down, as if he knew. Maybe he had checked my bedroom last night and saw I wasn't there. I feel my cheeks flush at the thought of Tim knowing but I try to play it cool. 

"Yeah, well I've been staying up late recently." I walk to the bed and sit down and glance at him shyly. He sets his magazine on his lap and grabs a bowl of trail mix and offers me some as a silent gesture to make amends. I smile softly and take some. "Thanks." I take a bite, and instantly feel like I'm going to hurl. I try to hide my expression and wait for the urge to pass. I look at him in the corner of my eye only to see him carefully watching me. 

Jason was gone five minutes before coming back with a sandwich. "Here you go, Tim." He hands the plate to him. Tim looks it over and takes a bite then chews it slowly, his face turns sour. Jason looks surprised. "Is it not good?" 

"I change my mind," he said, with his mouth still full of food. "I feel really hungry for a pizza. Would you mind making one?... from scratch?" 

Jason frowns but remains silent, trying to fight his urge to express his annoyance.

“You don't have to, Jason.” Tim sets the plate on the nightstand refusing to eat it.

“No... I'll... I'll make you a pizza. What kind?”

“Uh... supreme.”

“All be back in less than an hour. Send me a text if you need anything else.” he leaves the room then I glare at Tim as a mischievous grin spreads across his face.

“What's wrong with the sandwich?”

“Nothing. Just changed my mind.”

I cross my arms and narrow my eyes on him for acting like a brat. "Why are you taking advantage of him? He's trying to be nice." 

“Well, he's just so willing to help-” He picks up his magazine and scans the page.

“Yeah, because he feels guilty, Tim.”

“And he should!... I lost four months of my life because of him.”

I'm stunned for a brief moment. “What? I thought he didn't shoot you?”

"He didn't... But I ended up in that coma for defending him from bad guys that were hired to kill him. And probably for very good reasons... So... Sorry if I'm a little bitter still." 

“Let's 'not' pretend that is the real reason.”

“It's the least he deserves. You know just as well as I do that he treats everyone like crap!”

I smirk. Boy, if only he knew what Jason did for me last night. “Whatever. I thought you guys just made up?”

“I never said that... Just think of this as me collecting the debt he owes me.”

“Master Timothy!” We both look to the doorway as Alfred walks in sternly. “Why is Master Jason making you a pizza when he just made you a sandwich? And I can see now that you haven't even eaten it.”

“Because he offered.”

“Do not lie to me, young Sir. I know you have been abusing his servitude all morning now.”

“Alfred, trust me. This is mercy compared to what Jason does to other people. Consider it payback.” he grins, and switches the page of his magazine and then his eyes grow wide as he looks past Alfred.

We all look to the doorway to see Jason standing there. Judging by the look on his face, he heard what Tim said, but he tries to act like he didn't. "Uh... Just wanted to make sure bell peppers were okay? Bruce said you're allergic." 

Tim looks nervous. “Uh, yeah, I am allergic. Thanks for asking.”

Jason nods and then leaves the room. Alfred looks back at him and glares. "Were you planning on waiting until 'after' he finished making the pizza before telling him that fact?" Tim looks at him, his silence answering the question. "I am very disappointed in you. And I think your behavior is wrong." Alfred turns around and leaves the room. 

Tim looks at me wondering if I had anything to add. I sigh. “You should get some rest. I'm going to go see if Jason wants help with the pizza.”

 

I go down to the kitchen and see Jason chopping onions. He glances up at me. I grin and lean up against the counter top. “Good morning.”

“Hey.” We both stand there grinning at each other for several moments as we continue reminiscing about last night. Our hands slide across the counter until our fingertips are touching.

Dick walks in wearing his gym clothes and sweating profusely. We pull our hands away quickly, hoping he hadn't noticed. "Hey, guys." He stares at Jason for a moment, waiting for his reaction or a snarky comment but Jason doesn't look at him. 

"Hey, Dick," I said enthusiastically. Trying to make up for the silent treatment Jason's giving him. 

"Do either of you have anything planned for the day?" 

"Um, no. Do you guys want to go to the mall? I could use a wardrobe update." I grin. Jason and Dick both look unimpressed by the idea. 

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” Jason said.

I frown at him. I don't know why he's trying to be such a people-pleaser today. It's so unlike him. Actually, it's the bipolar opposite of him. Is he just in a good mood or is he trying to butter everyone up before delivering bad news? “It's okay, Jay. I can tell you don't want to go. I'll just ask my girlfriends if they'll go with me.”

“Your girlfriends?” he said, with a slight hiss in his tone. I don't know why he seems bothered by that. Unless someone has given him false information about my friends.

“Yeah.”

“Hey, Steph? Would you like to get a morning workout in with me first?” Dick asked.

I can't help but think that this is his way of saying I've gained weight and I need to lose it. I sigh with frustration and decide to accept his offer of motivation. Plus, I got to keep up appearances. "Sure." 

"Good, meet you down in the gym." Dick grins as he walks behind Jason and leans in. "'Jason. Oh, Jason!'" he said, in a falsely high voice. Jason becomes flustered by the mimic for a moment then quickly looks back at Dick, scowling at him viciously. I feel my own cheeks starting to flush while I wonder if I really was that loud or if I'm misconceiving this entire situation. Dick chuckles and then stops at the door and looks back. "Oh, and I already asked Bruce if you two could share the master suite on the first floor, you know, so I don't have to listen to you two making pancakes during the night." 

My jaw drops with further shock and humiliation then I look at Jason to see him snarling at Dick. 

"-And Bruce said 'whatever' so I guess that means 'yes'. Okay?" Neither of us answer as he turns and starts walking down the hall. "Thanks, guys! You're so cooperative!" 

Jason grumbles under his breath. “I can't wait until we move out of this house.”

"Yeah... Speaking of which, what of our plan to go to Brazil?" 

“I scrapped it.”

"Really?..." For some reason, I'm not surprised. "Because of Tim?" 

“Yeah. I figured you wouldn't want to go now that we have Tim back... And I'm sure he would be devastated with you leaving.”

I'm kinda upset that he didn't talk with me about it before 'scrapping the plans', but he's right. I don't want to go now that Tim is no longer in comatose and now that Jason is willing to work with the family to find a cure. Things are starting to look brighter and there's no point in going someplace quiet for Jason to die. "You're right," I change my tone. "But you should have consulted me before making that decision, Jason. It concerns both of us." He looks at me, carefully considering what I'm saying. "We're partners... Me and you. We have to communicate. You're lucky you were right about how I feel-" 

“You're absolutely right. It was rude and inconsiderate. I'm sorry.”

"I forgive you..." I smirk at him. "Well, I better go get my workout in." 

"'kay." 

I start to leave but stop and look back. "Hey, Jason." 

He looks up at me. "Yeah?"

I smile softly. "Thanks."

“For what?”

“For last night... I had no idea how much I needed that.”

He smiles softly too, and then looks down shyly and back up at me. "I needed it, too." 

We smile at each other for a few moments before I slowly step away with a sway in my step, not wanting to take my eyes off of him until the very last second. He grins adoring me all along the way.

~***~

 

Down in the medical bay. 

"Well, as much as I hate you and Stephanie being a couple, for a hundred different reasons—I'm genuinely happy to see that she's finally knocking some sense into you," Bruce said and then pats the examining table. Jason sits up on it and pulls his shirt over his head then tosses it to the side. "We're going to start with the C.A.T scan, and then I'll run more blood work on you. We'll probably need full body x-rays, and then a urine sample... Now lay back and hold still." Jason does as he's told. Bruce pushes the bed into the opening of the machine. "Just relax. And--I promise not to analyze the pictures of your brain to determine which parts of your brain are stimulated the most. I'll just look at it from a medical standpoint." 

“Yeah, I'm sure you'll be able to resist the temptation. Just don't be overwhelmed if the sexual part of my brain has high activity levels.”

"Did anyone ever tell you that your jokes are staler than Dick's?" Bruce steps to the side. "Now don't move." Jason closes his eyes and tries to relax. The machine is activated and starts spinning around—orbiting Jason's head. 

Dick walks in and Bruce gestures for him to remain silent. He walks to where Bruce is standing. “How is he doing? Steph told me he's finally willing to accept help in finding a cure.”

“He's fine. We just started the process. The first Doctor is arriving late tonight and hopefully from there will be able to find some answers.”

“That's what I wanted to talk to you about.” he glances over at Jason and lowers his voice even more. “I think you should know that the Doctor's who are coming are probably not going to be able to help him.” 

"I know. Stephanie told me he had already sought help but it resulted in nothing." 

"She did?... Hmm, well, if we don't get anywhere with the Doctor's, what's the next plan of action?" 

“I don't know... I'll probably have to ask Ras for a favor.”

"You're kidding me?... I thought you were against the Lazarus pit entirely. You're changing your morals now?" 

"I'm not changing my morals. I meant what I said before about the pit being dangerous territory and an immoral thing to do... But... Maybe I was wrong. Or maybe I just can't bear to watch him die young again... I'd do the same for you or anyone else I love." 

"Yeah, but the Al Ghul's are a little bit 'insane'... Don't get mad at me for saying this, but it doesn't really seem worth the price that you'll undoubtedly end up paying." 

"Despite all of Jason's mistakes in life, he's still worth trying to save. No matter the price... He's my son." 

~*~

 

Dick walks up the stairs and into Tim's room. "Hey!" Tim looks up from his book as Dick collapses on his bed. "What'cha reading?" He shows him the cover. "'How to win her heart'. Oh... um, guess that's worth a read... So what's going on with you and Jason today?" 

“What do you mean?”

“I noticed you guys have been 'talking' again... Why?”

“No reason.”

"Fine, keep your secrets..." He sits up and his mind starts brainstorming, trying to find a solution to matchmaking Tim and Stephanie as romantic partners. Maybe he should just try to convince Stephanie to have an abortion. That will make this situation much less complicated and possibly make Stephanie not have a sense of obligation for staying with Jason. "So... How did that one lead pan out?" 

“Which one?”

Dick stares at him, feeling annoyed with this dance. “The one you investigated yesterday with Conner?”

Tim looks up. He can't tell Dick yet. He hasn't decided what to do with the knowledge he found, so he lies. "It didn't pan out." 

“Oh... That's too bad.”

“Dick, I don't want to talk about Jason right now.”

“I'm just wondering if the game has changed or something?”

"No, not really... I'm just playing it cool. Just until I get my case built against him. Then I'm going to hit him so hard, with everything I got, he'll never recover. So for now, I'm going to act like a little whining asshole. Reverse psychology. Make him think I'm getting what I want so he doesn't suspect anything when I give him the final blow." 

“Wow... That's-... dark.”

“I like to think of it as a necessary evil.”

“Okay.” he nods. “I'm with you then.”

“Good... But you better not let it slip to anyone, Dick. I mean it.”

“My lips are sealed.”

“Pinky swear?” he holds out his pinky

Dick laughs. “I'll swear, but, Tim... nobody pinky swears. That's like something a six-year-old would do.”

“Just seeing if you'd fall for it.”

~*~

 

Jason trots down the stairs and walks to the batcomputer. He pulls up a chair and sits in it backward. "You wanted to see me?" 

"Yes," Bruce said. "I have a job for you. A Miss Aubrey Coleman needs someone to keep watch over her tonight until her testimony in court tomorrow around noon. She's an eyewitness in a huge case and needs to be protected at all cost. I'm trusting you with the task." 

“No.”

“What?” Bruce is quickly angered, fully expecting Jason's noncooperation.

“Why don't you ask Dick? I'm sure he would be more than willing to help, especially with a pretty girl involved.”

“How did you know she was pretty?” Bruce glares at him, suspiciously.

“Lucky guess.”

“Jason, I need you on this case.”

"Yeah, I heard you the first time. My answer hasn't changed... Why can't you just ask Dick? He hasn't been doing anything but eating donuts and listening to music for the past week." Jason grabs an untouched donut that's left over from Dick's breakfast plate and takes a bite. 

“I need your special set of skills.”

“Really?... Which set? My flattering good nature? Or my tendency to overkill?”

“All of the above.” 

He chews his food slowly and thinks about it. “Nah... I already got my hands full right now.”

“With what? Kissing Tim's ass? That's not going to make him forgive you.”

“Yeah, well it's worth a shot.”

“I really need your help! What part of that don't you understand?!”

“I can hear you loud and clear, Bruce! But maybe I just don't want to babysit.”

“Why are you being such a brat?”

“Excuse me?... I'm trying to do my best here.”

“Oh really? Your best, huh? So that's why you've been breaking my things and snooping through my files? And don't you dare try to deny it!” Jason scowls, feeling angered with being 'mostly' falsely accused. He clenches his fist. “What? You want to punch me? Give me your best shot.”

“Don't tempt me further, Bruce.”

“You know what? If you aren't willing to help me, then fine. Don't ask me for any favors ever again.”

“I never have.”

“Just get out of my cave.”

Jason heads for the ramp. "I didn't break your precious batmobile, Bruce. Or snoop through your files. Maybe you should ask Tim. I'm sure it was him... On all accounts." he smirks, more than happy to blame Tim for breaking the batmobile, but only because Tim has been very irritating today, and to be honest, he's having a lot of pent up rage because of it. 

“Really? So I bet you're also going to deny that you didn't use the batmobile to blow up Black Mask's game night? Talk about priorities in life.”

He thinks it over, trying to figure out how the hell Bruce knew that. “Fine, I did do that... But what can I say? I was bored.”

“I know. And when you become bored you're like a bored dog chewing on all my belongings.”

"I didn't realize Black Mask's men wer-" 

“Ah!” He interrupts him aggressively. “I don't want to hear your sass, Jason.”

Instantly Jason feels the beginnings of frustration build up immensely from being denied his right to shed a little salt. Bruce frowns, wondering how his interruption could have offended him. If he had done that to Dick, sure, but Jason? His senses aren't exactly sensitive. 

He walks back towards Bruce with aggression reverberating off him when suddenly it dons on Bruce his real motives. He's just looking for an opportunity to work off some aggression, and Bruce can't really blame him, he too wants to satisfy his own ego but mostly he wants to test Jason's physical state out of concern of 'how' his health might be affecting him in the field. 

Jason tries to punch him but he dodges the assault and leaps from his seat, tackling him to the ground in a full-fledged assault. Jason flips over his body and gets out of his restraint and back onto his feet. Bruce grabs hold of his shirt and pulls him near as they both try to dodge each others claws and fists. Bruce gives Jason a big push backward and he falls against the medical table. He glances to his side and grabs a tranquilizer and swings it at Bruce, trying to put him under; mainly because he thinks it would be hilarious knocking him out that way, not because he's looking for a short cut. 

Bruce barely misses his attempt, “Cheater!”

"Who do you think taught me?" 

They seem to nearly be at a stalemate when it comes to skills, but Jason doesn't dare let Bruce get his hands on him so he uses his speed and strength hoping Bruce's larger size will be his disadvantage. Jason is most comfortable throwing his weight around on the streets but at times like these, it does pay off to be more flexible than Batman but stronger than Nightwing. But Bruce isn't about to let it go to Jason's head. "You won't win, Jason." He grabs him by the jacket and throws him into the batcomputer. 

He swings at him but Jason blocks his fist and swiftly slides his arm up to Bruce's throat to choke him. “Watch me, old man.” 

Bruce grabs him by both wrists and with great effort and stamina starts to move his hands away from squeezing his throat. "I'm still watching." He headbutts him, giving himself the opening he wanted to punch him in the jaw then freeing himself from the pinned position. 

He steps back, waiting for Bruce's counter attack but he's slow to respond, either defeated or most likely about to lose his temper entirely. “Aw, that's gonna leave a mark.” Jason harassed, ensuring the fights not over. He moves with a spring in his step, eager and ready for more.

"Be careful, 'pup'... You might just get what you deserve." He springs forward, doing the unexpected when he forces Jason to block his one hand while his other grabs him by the hair and pulls him to the ground then drops his 225lbs on top of him, still gripping him by the hair and wrapping an arm around his throat. 

“What is this, a chick fight? Stop pulling my hair out, you fat turd!”

“Afraid you're going to go bald before your old man?!”

"Ha! You're just jealous of my thick-!" he jams his elbow into Bruce's stomach trying to get free, but it's proving to be less effective than he initially deduced. "luscious-!" He attempts to flip Bruce over himself but he uses his weight to anchor Jason down again. Either he's getting weaker or Bruce is getting stronger. "locks!" 

Bruce almost laughs but Jason knocks the wind out of him and gets out of his advantage for a brief moment before being tripped. They start rolling across the floor until finally Bruce sits on top of his back and pulls his arm into a position to dislocate it. "Yield!" He growled. 

“Never!”

“Yield, now!”

“Do your worst!” He resists more nearly dislocating his own shoulder to obtain freedom.

“I 'will' dislocate it, Jason, if you don't 'yield'. You got five seconds to decide.”

They both struggle for a few seconds more when Jason nearly escaped to freedom but the bigger man suppresses him again and threatens to dislocate his shoulder once more. "It's been seven seconds, Bruce." he groaned. 

Bruce shakes his head and begins to apply pressure to dislocate his shoulder when a loud clash of metal comes from a several meters away. They both look to the side to see Alfred staring at them with horror on his face. “What in the world is going on down here!” He races towards them.

Bruce gets off of Jason and they both get to their feet and straighten their clothes. “We're just roughhousing around, Alfred. It's just play-fight." Bruce said. 

"Uhuh. Well, then you won't have a problem with me requesting that you 'play-fight' in the gym room and not in here where you can break things!" 

Jason leans up against the computer desk and grabs another donut and takes a bite in a manner as though nothing has happened. Bruce snarls and grabs the donut from him. Surprised and angered by his action. “What is wrong with you, Bruce?!” Alfred looks back at them, hearing the true annoyance in Jason's tone. “I can't even eat a donut without making you mad but Dick can eat as many as he wants?!”

“Donuts aren't healthy. And Dick isn't the one who's sick.”

“Yeah, I'm sure that's your real reason. Honestly Bruce. You have more tolerance for criminals than you ever did for me.”

“That's not true! I love you more than any other criminal!” Jason is silent and looks over to Alfred wondering if he misheard Bruce. “What?” Bruce pretends to be dumbfounded.

"Whatever." He turns and jogs up the stairs to the elevator. 

Alfred starts picking up the tray he dropped. "Now, master Bruce, you really shouldn't harass him like that." 

“Why not? Somebody has to troll him or else he'll get too cocky... And let's face it, he's already 'highly' prone.”

"Is that admiration I hear?" 

"hm," 

~*~

 

That evening we were all gathering around the dinner table. Today was special to me because it was the first day Jason was part of the invitation that me and the whole family was planning on showing up to. It's funny how a year ago I would never have thought it possible or even desired it. 

I hadn't seen where Jason had run off to for the past few hours, but now he comes walking through the Dining room archway with Tim in his arms.

“Jason, why are you carrying Tim still? Are you flexing for Steph.” Dick said, grinning.

“He fell down a flight of stairs and hurt his ankle.” He sets him down in a chair. 

“Yeah, I 'fell' because Jason pushed me.”

"No, I didn't!" Jason said quickly and looked back at me and Dick before we judge him. "I nudged him to encourage him to keep going and he threw himself down the staircase," he mumbles to us. "I think he was just trying to make me feel bad." 

Tim didn't seem to hear the last part. “Yeah right. That was more than a nudge, Jason. You made me lose my balance... I think you were secretly hoping I'd break my neck. All your problems would be solved, wouldn't they?”

Jason rolls his eyes and sighs. "Tim, can we not start this again? Please?" 

"Fine." He said a little too swiftly. We all take our seats. Tim leans down like he's trying to reach something off the floor. "Uh, Jason? Can you fix my sock? It's sliding down." 

“Sure.” He gets down on his knees and pulls Tim's sock up.

“Not that high!” he scolds. I frown and glance at Dick to see if he's sharing my shock and disdain but he's not, he almost looks like he's smiling.

Jason pushes the sock down more. “Oh my god, you're making it worst! Can you at least make them even?” he said like a total brat. Jason obliges. “Thank you.”

He gets back on his feet and takes a seat next to Tim just as Alfred and Bruce were joining us to take their seats. “Anyone want to say grace?” Alfred asked and looked around the table. Nobody says anything. Alfred's eyes remain on Jason the longest and when Jason doesn't look at him, he sighs. “Alright then.” Everyone starts helping themselves to the food.

Tim sighs. "Jason, could you pass me a roll?" I quickly look over at them again wondering why Tim is acting even worse than he was this morning. I almost feel like telling Dick to switch spots with Jason. I'm sure that will cure Tim's finicky attitude. Jason reaches to the rolls in front of him and grabs one. "Not that one!" Tim protested. 

I glance around the table to see everyone else slowly passing the dinner dishes to the person on their right while carefully tuning in to what's happening on Jason and Tim's side of the table. Jason puts the roll back and grabs another one. “Not that one either! Why are you giving me all the scrawny ones?” he whined.

Jason tries not to show his irritation but I can see the growing rage burning in his eyes. "Which one do you want?" he said through clenched teeth but still trying to disguise his emotions. 

Tim lifts his chin in the air to get a better look and then points. “That one.”

"Oh, you mean Bob? Why didn't you just say so?" he grumbled and puts it on his plate when the top of his hand gets slapped. 

“Not that one!” 

"Tim!!" Bruce snaps and then takes a deep breath in trying to calm himself down. "They 'all' taste the same." A few moments go by in silence as we start to eat our meal, all grateful for Bruce's intervention. "So, how was everybody's day?" 

“Uh, good. Nothing exciting to report. Although, I did gain two pounds of muscle this past week.” Dick grins with vanity. 

"More like, two pounds of donut fat," Jason added with a slight look of amusement and almost adoration. 

“How about you, Stephanie? Been feeling okay?” Bruce asked.

I look up from my food and glance at Dick with suspicion. He instantly looks away from me as if he's guilty. I look back at Bruce, trying not to show my frightfulness. “Been feeling great, Bruce. Thanks for asking... You?”

“Oh, I'm fine.”

I glance at Jason nervously but he seems content with looking down at Tim's stake while he slowly slices it into smaller pieces for him. Seemingly oblivious to the tension amongst us. Tim reaches for his cup and knocks it over towards Jason and it spills on his lap. "Oh dear," Tim said, drenched in imitative while Jason takes his cloth napkin and wipes it off himself then off the table cloth. "Might want to go change your clothes." Tim grinned then tucked his lips in. 

“Yeah, I think I will.” Jason gets up from the table and leaves, and so does this special evening for me. I know he's not going to come back down until dinner's over. Tim knows that too, and he can't even hide the wicked glee on his face.

The rest of us continue eating our dinner in silence, but I'm not exactly sure why everyone is so silent. I reach over and grab the wine bottle to fill up my glass but Dick slaps my hand. "I think you're too young for wine," he said and moved the wine out of my reach. I glance around the table but only Bruce is staring at me. Probably because he knows Dick has never objected to minorities drinking monitored amounts of alcohol before. In fact, he was the advocate who convinced Bruce to loosen up a bit and that 'a little wine doesn't hurt anyone'. I sigh with frustration, feeling furious with Dick for being so carless but still trying not to show it. 

A few minutes later Jason comes back down wearing his Red Hood persona and any hope I still had left that he would surprise all of us and return had shattered. "Hey, Bruce, that group you were telling me about yesterday been sighted again down at Warsmith Avenue. I'm gonna go check it out." 

“Want help?” Bruce offered as he starts to get out of his seat.

“No, I'll be back as soon as I can. Do you need me to get anything for you while I'm out, Tim?”

"Um, no." Alfred clears his throat and gives Tim a look. "Thank you, though," Tim said with a slight farce tone. 

“Okay, well. Just call me if you think of anything. See you guys later.”

"Be careful!" I said, and the moment I said it I wish I hadn't because Tim's eyes dart over to me as a look comes over his face like he just saw a puppy die. His confident and sassy attitude quickly melts into a sorrowful demeanor for the remainder of the evening and I'm filled with conflicting emotions. 

~***~

 

Jason comes to a stop outside an old restaurant and parks his bike. He looks around the streets then gets off his bike and walks to the restaurant door. He enters the dimly lit and entirely empty restaurant, except for one Chinese man standing on the other side of the counter. "[Where's everyone else?]" Jason said in Chinese. 

The man is slow to answer as he looks down at the counter in front of himself. “[they... did not show up yet.]” the man replied in his native tongue slowly and nervously.

Jason studies the man for a moment seeing his pulse pounding in the dip of his collarbone and the glimmer of excessive sweat on his skin. "[I see.]" he replied. "[I guess I should wait for them to arrive, no?]" The man's eyes dart to three different places in the room subtly, trying to send a warning to Jason. And Jason receives the warning so he proceeds with caution. "[Where's your hospitality man? Get to it! I need a drink.]" 

The man nods and hesitates to move. Jason jumps on top of the counter and grabs the man who was squatting on the floor with a gun pointed on the cashier. They struggle over the gun as another gun goes off from the opposite side of the room. Jason flips over the counter and grabs the gunman by the face and pushes up and to the side with one hand and directs the man's tight grip on the gun away from himself and the cashier. They both struggle for a moment before there's a loud pop of bone snapping and the gunman dies. Jason grabs his gun but he's a second too late to defend as another gunman leans over the counter and kills the Chinese man with two shots to the chest. Jason shoots him in the head and then looks at the dead Chinese man for a moment, and becomes filled with rage. 

He looks around trying to find where the other assailants might be. A gun fires at him from the entrance. He decks down again and army crawls until he's at the end of the counter then he gets to his feet and makes a run for the back door exit. 

He races through the alley to his bike but just before he reaches his bike it blows up, throwing him back thirty feet. He huffs for air and remains dazed for a moment. "Dammit. This really isn't my night." His ears are buzzing as he rolls to his stomach, and gets to his feet then starts racing to a safe spot. There's sniper rifles firing at him from two different rooftops. It's all a trap, a carefully planned trap. And that means all his men that he was meeting up with tonight are probably dead. 

He runs towards one building where the marksman stands on top. He jumps up and grabs hold of the iron ladder leading up to the roof. The rifleman looks over the edge and aims his gun but he's met by a few ninja star darts to the face. He stumbles backward and before he regains his balance and opens his eyes, Jason grabs his gun and throws all his power into one leg and bounces off the man's chest, sending the man flying back several feet. He walks over to him and smashes his foot down on the man's face, breaking his neck. "Gotta save the bullets," he mumbled to the dead man, callously. 

He takes a position down low on the roof top and aims for the other sniper. He locates him and steadies his rifle, aims, and fires—killing the man with a head shot. The men who were on the ground chasing after him stop and look to the other rooftop, "What was that?" They see their sniper standing there a moment before falling off the building and down to the street below. 

Black Mask's voice is on the comm link in their ear. "You motherfucking idiots! Kill him NOW! Or you're all dead! DEAD!" They race towards Jason as his rifle fires off several times. The man in the lead thinks he's missing but it takes him four full seconds to realize Red Hood just took out the rest of his men. He stops and looks back at the trail of dead bodies behind him. His eyes widen expecting a bullet to shoot him next but there's nothing, only silence. Maybe Red Hood's out of bullets, he wondered, turning around to investigate but he's smacked in the face by the butt of a gun. 

He looks up from the ground and crawls backward as Jason nears him hastily. "Did you kill all my men?" Jason hissed. He steps on his chest to pin him down.

The man chuckles. “So much for promises. You did say you would provide them with your full protection from Black Mask, right?” Jason glares as the man mocks him. “I think your respect meter just went waaay down here in Gotham.” He chuckles again. Jason steps down on his chest harder and grabs the comm out of his ear. He points one of his handguns at his head. 

"What the hell is going on there?! Kenny! Answer me!" Black Mask raged over the comm link. 

"Black Mask... Is this about poker night?" 

“...Red Hood.” he said, with a completely different demeanor. 

“You should've warned your men about me being a sore loser.”

“Way I hear it, you weren't even part of the game. You just showed up and killed my men for 'fun'... I'm not mad. I respect that. Shows you got balls, kid.”

"I never kill without profit. Just so happens your men were a particularly disgusting herd of pigs. But let's not dwell on the past, shall we? I have one of your trustees under my boot right now with a gun pointed at his head. Should I spare him?" 

"No... He's probably not worth the price you'll ask." 

"Nice to know somebody pays attention... So, I killed your men and you killed mine. Wanna call it a tie?" 

“Since when did you stop liking the game, Hood?”

Jason is silent, trying to figure out how he's gotten so off his game since Stephanie came into his life. He didn't even notice really until hearing the question come from Black Mask. "Since you became irrelevant... Guess I'm moving on to higher rewards." 

"Ha! Ha! Higher rewards? You're starting to sound like a guy who's fallen in love... Please tell me I'm wrong?" 

“I've got more important things to do than maintain a romantic relationship, especially when I can just go down to any bar and get one with no strings attached.”

“You might be a big pain in the ass, Red Hood, but you don't strike me as a 'loose guy'. And I generally have an accurate sense about people... Take my advice, son. Dames are all the same. A big risk. Best you learn that sooner than later.” He pauses for a few moments. “You still there, Red Hood?”

“I'm waiting for you to get to your point before I put your last man down like a dog.”

"Hm? Sounds like you're getting soft... What happened to you, kid? Did ya get injured or something? Maybe a little depressed over all the people you've killed?... Or am I right the first time, and some pretty dame entangled you in her 'net'?" 

Jason tries to think of something to say to deny there's anyone he cares about, but he freezes his quick wit lacking in this moment. He wonders how he didn't already have this planned beforehand. He's usually so calculated and thinks of all the outcomes. "Yeah, my heart really breaks over killing slime-balls like you and yours truly... I'm talking about me, by the way." 

“It's a girl, ain't it?” Black Mask snickers. “You're a young man, I guess I shouldn't be surprised if you're in the market for a mate. Or maybe just someone specail to help ya get your rocks off. But take some free advice from a man who 'knows'... Don't let them damsel's pull you off your throne, boy... As much as I hate you, I have to admit... the game was getting 'good' with you on the board... So just consider your twelve dead men a neighborly gesture of motivation to get you out of the girl's skirt." Jason looks down at the man who's still under his boot as Black Mask lowers his voice over the comm. "Then again... You might be a bigger problem than I want around, even if you have been behaving yourself lately... But one thing's for sure... anyway you look at it, your men were counting on you, Red. And you failed them." 

A brief moment goes by as his words set in. "Me and you have been though a lot together over the last couple years, so I want to let you in on one little secret... I'm a sore loser, too... This is your only warning, kid. If I hear about you setting foot on the streets of Gotham killin and stealin, I'm gonna hunt down everyone whoever helped you, and I'm gonna cut them all up into little pieces... slowly... while they're still breathing. Then I'm gonna force feed them to my other enemies... I'll turn all of Gotham against you with the world's greatest tactic... 'fear'... Then it will just be 'me' and 'Batman' once again, facing the load of 'crazies' who make up the rest of this city."

"I can't believe you excluded Batman and yourself from the 'load of crazies'. But yeah, I'm sure you both would be pleased with me leaving you two 'macho's' to dick it out... I do have one question, though... Who where's the pants in the relationship? You or Batman?... I'm just curious." 

“You can't use those tactics on me, son... I created those tactics.”

"Actually 'those tactics' have been around for thousands of years. But what do I know? I'm only a bookworm." 

"Haha! Red hood a bookworm. Gotta say, I like your sense of humor. Reminds me of mine, if I had one... But, hey. I'm starting to feel in a generous mood right now, maybe if we sat down some place and have a real talk? Man to man. I might even be willing to strike some kind of deal with you..." Jason remains silent. "But if you're unwilling then I'll just give you one day to clear out of Gotham. And if you step foot in this city again, I will kill mother and your father, and your brothers and sisters, and all of those you care about... but most importantly, I'll find out who 'she' is, and then I'll kill her too. Slowly... That is... 'after' I'm done amusing myself with her." He chuckles. 

"...You can try to find those people that don't even exist, Black Mask. But you really should be careful with your 'threats'. I might just take you seriously... And you know how that ends for people who try to threaten me or stand in my way... I can be very, 'very' unforgiving." Jason looks at the man he's holding down with his foot and pulls the trigger three times, killing him. Black Mask rubs his face, hearing the gun shot over the comm. "On second thought,” Jason said with a more cheerful tone. “Why not indulge ourselves a little with some 'bonding'? What times good for you, Sionis?" 

"...Friday night... Twelve a.m. at the Gala hotel... Top floor." 

Jason smirks. "I'm looking forward to our... 'conversation'." His smile quickly fades as he drops the comm link on the dead man's chest and walks away from the crime scene. 

“I'm sure you'll love what I have planned for you.” Black Mask mumbled over the comm.

 

~*~

Tim plays with his food and remains silent as the rest of us finish eating and rise from the table. Before Tim gets to his feet he's stopped by Bruce. "Tim, could you please stay at the table for a minute?" 

Tim looks at me and Dick, then he nods. Bruce waits for us to leave the room but we reluctantly do. We go our separate ways. I start climbing the stairs but I stop and turn around and go back down to find Dick and confront him about leaving hints about my pregnancy so carelessly. I go into the lounge room and find him laying on the couch. I shut the door behind me. “Dick?”

He pulls off his headphones. “What's up?”

“So, are you just dying for Bruce to figure it out? Or did you already tell him?” I said, bitterly.

“What? Of course not!”

“Then why was he asking me questions about how I was feeling?”

"I don't know. Maybe he figured it out, I mean, you have been looking different." 

I study him and I see that look in his eyes. He lied to me and now he's trying to get away with it. “Are you lying to me?”

He opens his mouth trying to look offended that I would think such a thing. “Of course not! Who do you think I am? Jason?” He starts perspiring. He's painfully bad at lying.

“You are unbelievable... How much did you tell Bruce?”

“Nothing!...” he sighs. “Steph, I can't keep this secret anymore. It's too big. You need to tell Jason... I'm honestly surprised he hasn't figured it out yet. Don't get me wrong, Jason can live with denial better than anyone, but he's not stupid.” I look down thinking about what he's saying. “Now, if Bruce has figured it out, then there's a really good chance Jason has figured it out.”

"Why do you think that?" 

"Because, for all of Bruce's intelligence, he knows even less about women than Jason... I mean, he used to ask Jason for girl advice when he was dating Selina, back when Jason was just a teenager." 

“What? Jason? Girl advice?... Man, Bruce is stupid.”

"Actually, he had really good advice. But ever since that one time he had his skull bashed in and went through a lot of trauma, well, let's just say he's as bad as Bruce now on all topics involving 'feelings'." 

"What?" 

"Well, if you really want to know." he leans in and whispers. "I'm convinced that Jason's body wasn't healed all the way since coming back to life." I glare at him, knowing he's only trying to get out of trouble. So he changes the topic and starts rambling, but it's only half working. "My theory was the Lazarus pit couldn't restore everything, or all of Jason's memories either, but Bruce is convinced my theory isn't possible and that Jason is just subconsciously blocking his memories. But now that I know Jason is sick from an unknown cause, I'm starting to think my theory might be right... Then again, Jason might even know 'exactly' why he's dying." Dick sips his drink and looks at me in the corner of his eye. 

"What exactly do you know?" 

“Huh?”

"Don't play dumb and innocent with me, Dick Grayson. You know something else, what is it?" 

"Steph, I'm not at liberty to tell you." 

“Since when has that ever stopped you before?”

He sees the frustration on my face so he indulges me a little. "Fine. Jason did mention a little something. But he didn't say much." 

"Dick, is he doing something reckless?" 

"No. I don't think so... He... It's just... He gets really angry when people pity him, so I don't see a reason he'd make it up." I frown as I try to piece together what it could be. There's a lot of reasons to pity Jason, but one that I don't already know about? I suddenly feel really worried about him. "He just said he already knows why he's dying. And that he thinks he caused it." I think about it, wondering why Jason wouldn't share that with me. "But Steph... You really need to tell him about the baby. I honestly feel 'guilty' that I know before he does." 

“I will... It's just right now, he has a lot on his mind.”

“Yeah, maybe... Or maybe he's just playing coy.”

"... He's not." 

"Are you sure?" I'm suddenly filled with a hundred different reasons to doubt. "Steph, why don't you just tell him? Get it over with. Do it quick, like ripping off a band-aid... Oh, god... Are you trying to tie the knot before you break the news to him that he's going to be a dad?" 

“I-!?... I honestly don't know what I'm doing... I'm scared, Dick... I can't lose him because of 'it'... You have to promise me, you aren't going to tell anyone. Not Bruce. Not Alfred, definitely not Jason or Tim. They can't know about it yet.”

"I already know." I hear that all too familiar deep voice coming from behind me. I turn around slowly and reluctantly and am met by Bruce's surprisingly soft expression. "I suspected for a long time now. I waited for you to come to me with it, but you didn't. I guess you didn't trust me enough, or because you're confused with it all happening so fast especially considering how you and Jason barely know each other... I'm not going to ask why you two didn't use proper protection or who's the one to mostly blame for it. Because that doesn't matter in the least, right now. What's done is done." Bruce walks towards the couch and sits down on the back of it while crossing his large arms in front of his broad chest. "What are you going to do?... How can I help you?" 

The moment he says it, my anger and fear subside and I realize that's all I've wanted all this time, is for someone to help me and comfort me. The tears slip from my eyes. "I don't know... I have no idea what to do." 

Bruce and Dick remain silent as I try to hide my face while I cry. "Steph, I just want you to know that I will give all the financial help you need. You have a few options you need to start thinking about... You can give the baby up for adoption to a good home. With my resources, we can find a really good home. You can have an abortion... Or you can keep the baby... But you have to face the facts that you are at greater risk than most at becoming a single parent... And if that's the case, just know that... I may be young, but I can still be a grandpa. And I'll give my grandbaby all the love they deserve... You'll always have a home here, Stephanie. No matter what you decide. I will support you emotionally and financially with every decision you make... Okay?" I nod as I try to withhold the sobbing that is knotting up in my throat. Bruce grabs my arm and pulls me into his chest, hugging me. "It's going to be okay... I promise." I let my cry out and begin to feel a puddle of tears and snot forming on his shirt, but he remains undisturbed and gentle with me. 

Dick gets off the couch and walks around to our side. "This seems like the time for a long group hug," he said grinning and puts his arms out and walks towards me and Bruce. 

"Dick, please." Bruce hissed. Dick freezes with his arms out and ready for the hug while he stares at Bruce, slightly surprised and partly begging for Bruce's affection. "I'm just kidding. Come here, you rascal." he grabs him by the shirt and pulls him into the group hug. I laugh as they both wrap their arms around me, and Dick tries to crack some corny jokes to lighten the mood. Despite feeling awful, I do feel comforted and relieved that someone as stable as Bruce knows now, and that I'm no longer all alone with this huge secret. 

 

~*~

 

Later that night. Jason walks up the stairs of the manor and stops at his door. He slides his jacket off his shoulders and leans against the wall, deep in his thoughts. He doesn't notice me coming down the hall. “Hey,” I said.

He looks towards me and smiles. “Hey, babe.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and step on his shoes and kiss him. “How was your night?”

He studies every inch of my face for a few moments and brushes his fingers against my cheek and then through my hair. “Fine... How was yours?”

"Great... I feel really good for once." Even though he said he's fine I sense there's something bothering him. "Are you sure everything's okay?" 

He smiles softly and nods. “Yeah...”

"... Do you want to hop in the shower and then sleep in my bed tonight?" I rub my hands down his chest and smirk. 

“That sounds nice... I'll be in, in just a little bit.”

"Okay." I back away slowly and grin then head towards my bedroom to get into my pj's for the night. I glance back at him and become worried when I see him resting his head back against the door frame, chin pointed up, and a worried look worn on his face. I stop at my door for a few moments, then decide to wait until we're cuddling in each other's arms before I bring up the topic again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave me a kudos or a comment.


	22. Our Ancient History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of Jason's dark past is beginning to become relevant again, meanwhile Tim finds more motivation to destroy him, but then unexpectedly uncovers another secret involving him. And Bruce is discovering just how hard it is to be a parent of two relentlessly feuding brothers.

The sound of a motorcycle draws closer and closer until it reveals the rider, Jason Todd, as he speeds through the streets of Gotham city driving almost a hundred miles per hour when suddenly, something latches onto his shoulder and pulls him off his bike. He loses his bike out from under him as his body skids across the concrete until he slows to a stop, and his bike flies off the bridge to the next abandoned street below. He grits his teeth and looks around in search for the assailant, but he's pulled across the road by the gadget still clamped around his shoulder like a fish stuck on a hook.

He grabs the rope and digs his feet into the road and pulls back, destabilizing the person dressed in black and standing on the hood of a parked car. They stumble to the ground as he gets up and runs towards them, then punching them in the face and rustling with the skilled adversary. He grabs hold of their throat and slams them down onto the hood of the parked car.

"I just wanted your attention, Red Hood. But I'm up for this kind, too." the woman said and pulled down her mask with her one free hand.

"Grace?... What the hell! I just fixed my bike." he hissed then lets go of her.

"You didn't respond to my messages. And you weren't at your safehouse. Your colleagues had no idea where you had been hiding the past few months. I had almost given up hope you were alive when I saw you speeding by. There was no way I could keep up with you so I did the next best thing."

"Can you get your claw off my shoulder, please?" he grumbled. She does as he wishes. "I thought I told you to stay out of my business?" she remains silent and when he sees that look on her face, he softens his tone realizing how ungrateful he sounds for her concern. "So why were you looking for me?... Is everything okay?"

"Your friend—Drake came knocking on my door the other day." Jason appears slightly surprised for a moment. "He said you had been missing in action for a few days. I was concerned for you... I wouldn't want anything bad happening to my protector." she smirks and places a hand on his arm, but he abruptly flicks it away.

"Did he see the kid?"

She hesitates, anticipating his reaction. "Yes."

"I told you-!"

"Before you start yelling at me! I think you should try staying with the kid for once and maybe you'd be a little more sympathetic! He can open doors with child-proof locks on them now. He's every bit of trouble as you."

Jason turns and walks towards the bridge as she follows him. "I told you it was a bad idea adopting him. But you cried and pleaded and I let you convince me you could handle it." He goes down the hill to the deserted road below to get his bike and she follows in his footsteps.

"I 'can' handle it. I just wish you would be understanding of the fact that it isn't easy being a parent... Especially a single one."

"I do understand. But don't you dare say I didn't warn you."

"You're right. You did... But what exactly crawled up your ass today?" she hissed, losing her patience with his attitude.

"You." he hissed back, "And Drake... I didn't go missing in action, Grace."

"Then why was he looking for you?"

"He wasn't. He was investigating me."

"...Why? I thought he was your friend?"

"Drake is... mad at me."

"Whoa, you? I wonder why." Jason narrows his eyes at her, not appreciating the sarcasm right now. "No, really. Why?"

He pulls his bike into a standing position and checks for any damage. "I slept with the girl he's been in love with for a few years now. He wants retribution."

"Ooh... I see... And I'm guessing you don't want your girlfriend finding out about the kid?" He glances at her but doesn't answer. "There's nothing to be ashamed of, Jason."

"You need to pack up and relocate. Drake is probably going to snitch to Batman and Nightwing. You're endangered just by being associated with me. And I can't protect you from all of them."

"Won't they do you any favors if you ask nicely?... They're your family, aren't they?"

"Things are complicated... Just do what I say. Once Batman finds out the truth about you, he'll take the kid away from you and throw your ass in jail. So get out of town while you still can."

"When will you follow?"

He stops what he's doing and looks back at her, hesitantly. "I won't be following."

"But... But you promised me you would protect me from them! From the league!"

"I know... but now I have to break that promise."

She becomes silent with confusion and fear growing on her face. Her eyes start to fill with bitter tears. "But... But you promised me! Do you not have any honor?!" She lunges forward and punches him in the face. He pauses for a moment then slowly looks back at her and mitigates. "...I knew you were a jackass but I didn't think you would do this! Betray him! I know me and you never really got along! But really?! This is low even for you! You're abandoning us!"

He puts the motorcycle on its stand and turns to face her. "If you're done playing house with the kid, I'll take him—put him where he belongs."

She steps a foot back in horror at his suggestion. "No,"

"It may not be ideal circumstances but he won't be any worst off than me and you were as kids-"

"No! You may be hardhearted but you're not that cruel!... You're lying to me. I know it. So what would you really do with him?"

He looks down and away from her. "It doesn't matter what I choose to do with him. He's mine, not yours!..." He closes the space between them, "I should have killed you a long time ago when you first kidnapped him but I didn't, because I felt bad for you, and I thought we had the understanding that 'I' would be the one making 'all' the decisions for Jay's life. So don't think for a second that I won't replace you."

"He may not be my blood but I am his mother. And he's the only thing I have!" she starts crying while covering her mouth with the back of his hands. Jason stops what he's doing, trying his best not to give into her sob story, but goddammit, it's no exaggeration. Grace Morrison has absolutely no one in this world. No friends or family. Just a league of assassins who would like to see her head on a platter. Jay is the only person in the world who loves her, and Jason is the only one who values her life at all.

"Fine," he said sheepishly but she keeps crying. "Fine! Just stop crying!... You can keep the kid."

"Thank you." She swings her arms around his neck. "Thank you so much!" She places an open mouth kiss on his lips. His eyes widen as he pulls away but her lips follow so his arms push her away.

"Um, yeah, you're welcome..." They're both silent as happy tears stream down her cheeks when he sighs. "But you still have to get out of town."

"All right. Where will we be moving to?" 

"I'll take care of the plans. You just need to pack all that you can carry. And everything you'll need to defend yourself... I'm still not going with you."

"Can I at least get an explanation why?" She studies his face then suddenly realizing what his real feelings are. "Wait... Is this really all about the girl?... You're abandoning us for some silly little girl?"

"Not entirely."

"Then what?!"

"I'm getting too sick, Grace... I don't think I have much longer to live... I can't protect you anymore...You need to leave town. I'll give you some money so you and the kid will have a roof over your head. But I want you gone by tomorrow night." He gets back on his bike and stops, waiting for her response. "Do I make myself clear?"

"...Crystal," she said with a frustrated hiss in her voice.

"I'll meet you at the bus stop right outside of your neighborhood, at 1900 hours sharp. Don't be late." he's about to drive off but puts his foot back down. "If you're not there, I will hunt you down and take the kid back." She watches as he drives away, then just before she turns to head back home she sees him circle back. He comes to a stop in front of her. "Do you need a lift back home?" he asked reluctantly.

"No... I don't want anything from you, Todd... Only the child." She turns and walks away. His motor rears loudly as he speeds up the hill and resumes his path.

~*~

The sun shines down through the sheer shades and a soft breeze teases the branches of the tree right outside my window. I open the shades to look out at the beautiful landscape of Wayne manor when Jason walks in. "Stephanie." I turn to greet him with a smile. "I know."

"You know what?"

"I know you're pregnant." 

Anxiety rises in me as my jaw drops with shock and I try to figure out how he found out my secret. I study the expression on his face and come to the conclusion that my worst fears are true, he doesn't look pleased at all. "You told everyone before me? You told Dick, Bruce, and Tim! But you didn't tell me?!"

"What?! I-" What is he talking about, I didn't tell Tim anything. Did Dick tell him too?

"Here I thought you actually cared about me. That we were partners, and that we were supposed to 'communicate with each other'. But no. You didn't tell me anything. Because you don't have faith in me."

"I was planning to tell you! I just didn't find the right time yet-"

He cuts me off. "Go ahead and ask me how I feel about it."

I'm hesitant. Not liking where I think this is going. "How do you feel about it?" I said quietly.

"I don't want to be a father... I don't want a kid... And if you don't have an abortion then I'm leaving you! I'm not about to have my life ruined because of that 'thing'! I'm still young. Too young to be a father for sure." tears swell up in my eyes as he paces back and forth then stops and looks at me. "You have to choose... Me?... Or the baby?"

"Don't... No, don't say that!" I put my arms around my stomach as though to protect my baby from hearing his words of rejection.

"You can't have both... So choose."

"No!"

"Then I will." He looks more angered by my reaction but somehow I still didn't see it coming when I feel a shooting pain in my gut and look down to see his dagger in me. I'm shocked for a few moments, but I don't feel anything anymore. I see blood starting to soak my shirt. "NOOO!!" I scream. My world around me begins to fade as I have the strong sensation of falling from a great height.

I sit up in bed still screaming then feel someone shaking me as I become aware of where I am, and of Jason's voice calling me. "Stephanie! Stephanie! It's just a dream!" I look at him as his words begin to register with me. "You were just dreaming. Everything's okay." He tries to pull me into his arms to comfort me but my first instinct is to pull away from him, then suddenly I am filled with a sense of guilt for conjuring up those kinds of thoughts about him in my sleep. "It's okay," he said softly as I fall into his arms and melt into sobbing. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

I grab his arm as he holds me and comforts me with his soft tone. "Turn on the light." I whimpered.

He pulls away from me and reaches to turn on the lamp by the bed then resumes cradling me. He kisses the top of my head and whispers. "What was it about?"

There's a loud smashing sound and Jason's bedroom door breaks open. Dick and Tim are in their pj's and stop and stare at us. I sit up frowning.

"Is everything okay, Steph?" Dick asked while he glares at Jason.

"Yeah. I just had a bad dream."

I glance at Jason and he looks so offended by their implication. "Dick, get out of my room!" Jason hissed gruffly. "You better not have broken my door, you punk ass bitch!"

The door knob drops to the floor right at that moment. Dick and Tim look at it then back at me and Jason. "Yeah, well maybe if you weren't such a criminal I wouldn't assume the worst!" Dick shot back.

"Get out!" He reaches to the floor and grabs my slippers and throws them at Dick and Tim. They block it and when neither of them flees he jumps out of bed and grabs more items to throw at them. He throws a baseball and a book, as they try to duck from the incoming flying objects.

"Do you see this, Stephanie? He's trying to assault us. Ow!" Something hit Dick's brow-bone and he looks furious now. "You're going to get it now, Jason!"

They charge and slam into each other but Jason overpowers him and rams him into the dresser, causing pictures to fall off the walls. "Get him!" Tim chanted with a big grin on his face.

I honestly can't tell if this is just roughhousing or a real fight. Tim seems oddly amused. "You guys, stop!" I yelled at them and jump out of bed wearing only a thin tank top and really short shorts. Tim caught a glimpse in my direction and then he looks down at my body and his cheeks flush as he darts his eyes away from me, trying to avoid staring. My shirt must be revealing so I pull my arms up in front of my chest to provide some modesty.

Dick punches Jason in the face while he holds Dick up against the wall by the shirt. Jason grabs his hand and slams it into the wall then grabs him by the throat. "Guys, I mean it! Stop!" They ignore my plead and rustle with each other. Their body weight is now leaning against the dresser and a cracking sound rang out followed by a loud snap and the dresser drops on one side. All the items slide off and down to their feet as they both take their turns punching each other, mostly in places where the bruises will be hidden from Alfred's keen eyes.

My mouth gapes open in distress as their fight grows more violent, and there is no longer any doubt that this is not play-fight. I quince as Jason grabs hold of Dick and slams into another dresser. "Jason, stop!" I hissed.

Dick grabs a picture frame and smashes it on Jason's head. I look to Tim for assistance to break up the fight but he's laughing now—hysterically. Is this really what it's like living with a bunch of young testosterone-crazed-men? Or is this group just that unique unto themselves?

"BOYS!!" A thunderous voice yells out. We all look to the doorway to see Bruce standing there with puffy eyes and a very pissed expression. He looks around the room at the mess they made and grinds his teeth. "It is five in the morning... I haven't slept in two days... And you 'broke' the 'furniture'!..." he inhales and exhales slowly. "You have five seconds to get to bed or I will lock all of you in the cell downstairs so you guys can kill each other there! At least that way, I don't have to hear it!" He turns around and marches back to his room in anger. "Rotten kids." The door slams.

Jason snarls back at Dick again before releasing his grip on him. He pushes him a little bit as an aggressive gesture. Dick glares at him and bumps him back so Jason smirks sarcastically and fixes his shirt for him. Dick looks furious now, his eyes frantically searching for something to repay with but Jason isn't wearing a shirt.

"Well!" Alfred beams from right behind Tim.

"AAH!!!" All three boys yell. Tim leaps for the biggest guy's arms. Jason catches him and Dick gets behind him and peeks over his shoulder, protecting themselves from the old man. Alfred's in his bathrobe and slippers as he looks around the room, seeing the broken door, picture frames, and lopsided dresser. Jason sets Tim down while Dick comes out from hiding. "Quite the slumber party you boys have been having. I expect it to be cleaned up, new door, dresser and all, by breakfast. That's four hours from now... Or you 'will' be severely disciplined."

Jason chuckles. "Oh yeah? You gonna spank me, Alfred?"

Alfred raises an eyebrow and gives a stern look. Dick and Tim step away from Jason waiting for a lightning bolt to come down from heaven to strike him. "Be careful, Master Jason. I still have many tricks up my sleeve... Now keep it down while you work." Alfred turns around and goes back to his room down the hall.

Dick looks back at the rest of us. "Well, I say we catch a few more z's and then get up at seven to clean up? Goodnight, Steph... Jay." He nods as he starts walking to the door.

Tim follows and I catch him glancing down at my legs as he walks by. I look at Jason to see if he caught him too, and to my surprise, his eyes were on Tim but he doesn't show any emotion on the matter. I can't help but wish he would show a little jealousy over it.

Jason kneels down to study the damage done to the door frame then pulls a large piece of the splintered wood off. I look down the hall and see Tim and Dick whispering to each other as they walk to their rooms.

He sighs. "We'll have to replace the door frame along with the door." I sit at the bottom of the bed and watch him. "I guess I could go down to Cheryle's and buy the new door and dresser. But they don't open for another hour and a half..." he's silent for a moment. "I doubt I'll be able to find the same one... Maybe Bruce will want to update the doors on this level?" My silence draws his attention. He gets up and sits on the bed next to me. "You okay?"

I nod but can't think of a way to respond so I stay silent. I look at one of the bruises forming on his body already and touch it lightly.

"I'm sorry I got so angry at Dick, he's just so... presumptuous."

"I get it. I'd be offended too."

He studies me, still trying to figure out what's wrong. "...Are you still upset about your nightmare?" My eyes start misting instantly at the mention of it. "Steph?" He wraps his arm around me, gently nurturing me. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

I shake my head as tears overtake me, and I start crying on his shoulder. I don't even know why I'm crying, I'm not even this upset about it anymore, but I just can't stop crying. I wrap my arms around him and hide my face in the crook of his neck for about five minutes, and he remains silent the whole time.

After I calmed down he sweeps me up in his arms and carries me to the head of the bed and lays me down. He brushes the hair that's sticking to my damp cheeks out of my face then kisses me. His tenderness is soothing. He grabs one of my feet and starts messaging it. I open my eyes and watch him as my eyelids grow heavy until I drift to sleep.

I wake up in my own bed and sit up, wondering how I didn't wake when Jason moved me. The boys must be working in his room. I get out of bed and slide a bathrobe on and head down the hall to Jason's room. I hear a drill running as I walk in. The door is entirely gone along with the door frame. I look over to the dresser which is now propped up with a car-jack and Jason is drilling new feet onto the dresser. It's fresh wood that matches the other feet in design, but it needs to be stained. "Where's Dick and Tim?"

Jason looks back at me. "Oh, hey, Steph. They're making pancakes."

I scowl and near him. "Why?"

"They said they needed their 'brotherly bonding time'." He doesn't seem too bothered by the fact he isn't welcomed as part of that brotherly bonding time. I can't help but have my feelings hurt that they wouldn't invite him, though.

"Aren't you part of that brotherly time?" I asked, but he doesn't answer. "Are they making you do all this work by yourself?!" I said feeling really angry now.

Jason stops and looks back at me. "No. I wasn't being good company so they got fed up and said since I'm so picky I should just do it by myself."

Well, at least he's being honest. I huff. "So what do you need help with?"

"Nothing. I can manage."

"It's almost nine O'clock."

"I'll be done in time... probably."

I reach down and grab a hammer. "This can't be too hard." I look over at Jason and he's watching me. We smile at each other then I get to work.

Fifteen minutes later I'm hammering a nail in and begin to struggle with it, but I don't think to ask for help. Jason stands up and walks towards me. "Need help?"

"No, I got it." I hammer harder and fix it without assistance. I grin, taking a moment to admire my handy work. "Doesn't look too shabby if I say so myself. And to think, this is with no prior experience."

"Well, look at you, getting cocky already." He said with a grin and then leans over my shoulder and places a soft and sweet kiss on my cheek. I grin and sway a little before I push my butt back to bump his crotch, suggestively. I felt him jolt back a little, clearly not appreciating the gesture.

I turn to him and grab him by the collar of his shirt to pull him in for a kiss. It's soft for a moment then I kiss deeper with need. I lace my fingers together behind his neck. His one hand embarrasses my waist as the other reaches above my shoulder finding his mark on the new doorframe as he slowly pins me between it and his body while tilting his head slightly to kiss me even deeper. My hand drags down to his chest and his right-hand hiked my leg up as he presses against me and leans down to pepper my neck with his warm kisses. I run my fingers through his hair and close my eyes, dwelling on the sensation of foreplay.

"Jason?!..." We hear Bruce calling from downstairs. We freeze, both striving to catch our breath. I look towards the stairwell to be his eyes for him. "Jason?!"

"What?!" he hollered, his body remains pressed against mine as he tries to bring his heart rate back down. I inhale deeply to calm myself down too.

"Where are you?!"

Jason huffs in annoyance and doesn't move, still waiting for his body to cool to flaccidity. "What do you want?!" He looked over his left arm that is still resting against the door frame.

"One of the Doctors are down in the medical bay. They will be ready for you in ten minutes."

"Okay."

"Did you hear me?!"

"Yes!" he dropped my leg and starts to pull away but I pull him back and give him one more long and passionate kiss. His lips are so soft and delicious and he seems to be enjoying mine equally as much and takes his time pulling his away from mine. He opens his eyes and smiles softly at me then rests his forehead against mine for a moment. He slowly pulls away and heads downstairs.

It had been a long five hours since the first Doctor started examining him. I was getting so tired and Jason said I didn't have to stay with him but I couldn't leave him alone knowing he's only doing this for me—because I begged him to. 

The Doctor is listening to his lungs as he sits on the medical bed. "And breath in." Jason obeys. The Doctor puts the stethoscope around his neck. "You sound worst than when I first listened to you a few hours ago."

"I feel fine," Jason said while reaching for his shirt.

The Doctor gave him a look as if he didn't believe him.

"So what do you think is wrong? Has he gotten any better since last year when you ran tests on him?" Bruce asked the physician.

The Doctor sighs then looks at Jason. "I'm sorry but I just don't know what's causing your illness. Every single test I've run on you makes no sense at all. Your body doesn't respond to any of the treatment I've given you. I don't know what's causing your low-grade temperature. It's almost like your symptoms are in flex... I just... I've never seen anything like it... I would like to hear what the next physician thinks. Better yet, I want to extend an invitation to you to come to my lab in Phoenix, Arizona. We have a huge facility with state of the art technology along with a very top grade staff. Together we might be able to find more answers."

Bruce's eyes fill with hope at the offer but Jason shakes his head. "Thanks for the offer, but no, I'm not about to become your lab-rat."

The Doctor looks at Bruce as they share a look of frustration. The Doctor sighs. "I see that your declining health hasn't dampened your stubbornness any... Well, unfortunately, there's nothing else I can do for you here." He pauses waiting for a response from Jason. "I guess with all those aliens roaming around our planet nowadays, I shouldn't be surprised if it's a virus from another world. Is there any chance you've been hanging out with aliens?"

"I may have been abducted a few times in my life." He said with slight inpatients in his tone. "Thanks for trying anyways, Doc."

"My advice to you, son. Live life as though every day is your last... With the test I've run, I don't think you have much hope of recovery. In fact, I'm not even sure how you've managed to survive past the two months to live diagnosis I gave you last year. Whatever it is you've been doing, keep it up."

"No!" Bruce and I said coinciding and each a volume too loud. The Doctor frowns as Jason stares at us with a deadpan expression. "We mean 'no' to all your dangerous stunts you do on weekly basis."

Jason rolls his eyes as he looks away from us, the Doctor looks at him curious as to what exactly Bruce is referring to.

"Well, anyways, I guess I'm outta here." He pauses and studies Jason for a moment and pats his knee. "Maybe it's time you make up your mind, son." His words catch everyone's full attention. Jason glances at us then avoids eye contact, looking down timidly then nodding to say 'okay' to the Physician. The man shows sympathy on his face.

Jason slides his arms into the sleeves of his shirt and starts buttoning it up. "You might as well leave it off. The next two Doctors will be here any minute." Bruce said.

"I know. I just don't want to scare them away before they even start."

Bruce frowns, wondering what that even means, considering how fit Jason is. If anything he'd be at risk of drawing coveting eyes. Suddenly it dons on him. "Oh, stop being so dramatic. Nobody is going to be frightened of you because of your scars. They're Doctors. I'm sure they've seen worse..."

The Doctor grabs his bag and waves at Bruce and Jason. "Take care."

"Thanks, again." Bruce walks towards him and extends a hand to shake.

"I'm sorry I couldn't find the answers you were hoping for." The Doctor lowers his voice. "But if he changes his mind about my offer, me and my team would love to have him as a patient."

Bruce nods and glances back to see if Jason is listening, but he appears to be distracted with buttoning up his shirt. I know it's just an act, though. "I'll see if I can get his girlfriend to convince him."

The Doctor nods and then walks to the doorway, he stops beside me as I stand in the doorway with a worried look on my face. Not only was this whole ordeal a huge disappointment and discouraging, Jason was right, it was a total waste of time. I just hope we have better luck with the other Doctors. "Keep him out of trouble... The last thing he needs to be doing is anything that could tax his immune system."

"I'll do my best."

\--*--

A few years ago on a late summer night. Up high on the roof top of the GCPD building in Gotham city.

"You're making the right decision, Jason." Red Robin said from his seat on the edge of the rooftop.

Red Hood sits beside him with his feet hanging over the edge. He passes Tim a paper bag with their dinner in it. "Really? Then why do I already regret it?"

"Whoever said being a hero gave contentedness?" Tim takes a big bite of his toasted sandwich.

"I have no intentions of being a hero, kid. That's not why I agreed to let those dirty cops live." He examines his food briefly before taking a bite.

"Then why did you agree? It doesn't seem like something a bad guy would do." Jason looks at him with the slightest smirk on his face but refuses to answer. "Oh, I see. You just like being unpredictable... So, what do you do to decide? Toss a coin?"

"Don't insult me, Timmy. I can be much more calculated than that."

"And even more calculated than you want anyone to know. But... that's precisely why you are able to keep Batman and all of Gotham's underworld on their toes... I've been studying you since you were the new Robin in this city, and thanks to my dedication, I know your game inside out."

"My game?"

"Yeah, that facade you keep up, where you try to pretend you are transparent so people think they have you figured out or that they can control you. But then you end up surprising everyone and outsmarting them. It's a dirty trick, kinda like backstabbing, but I won't deny that it's smart."

Jason stares at him perplexed. "Hm, maybe you are smarter than Batman. Still, I doubt you know me as well as you think you do."

Tim smirked. "Maybe so. But it won't be long before I have you entirely figured."

"I'm sure you will." Tim studies him with flattery and admiration showing on his face. After a moment Jason looks to his side to acknowledge his steadfast gaze just as Tim's phone starts buzzing. He pulls it out of his utility belt. "You brought your cell phone into the field? I thought you were a tech geek, don't you know better?"

"I've been trying to connect it to my comm system but for some reason, it isn't transferring and I haven't had time to figure out why. Besides... it's just for few days. I have—something important I'm using it for." He mumbles as he starts reading the text he received. He grins then blushes at the message.

Jason peeks over his shoulder. "Who's Stephanie? Your girlfriend?"

"You're looking over my shoulder?! That is so rude!" Tim pulls his phone further from Jason's sight.

"Oh, I see... You've got a crush."

He grins, his anger quickly fading. "She's a really amazing girl. I ran into her in the field a couple months back. She's the new vigilante you may have heard of."

"Oh dear, another one? This city is getting too good for me. It's probably time I move on... Nah. Bruce would miss me too much." Tim peers right through his sarcasm. He's hurt that Bruce has been giving him the silent treatment since their failed reconciliation. Jason interrupts his thoughts. "So tell me about her... What did she say?"

"None of your business."

"Fine. Keep your secrets." He pulls out his phone and starts downloading something.

"And you were just getting after 'me' for bringing 'my' phone?"

"I pick-pocketed this off someone so I could make a call. Nobody will find important info on it." Jason reads a message but it's too late before Tim realizes what he's doing. "Aw, she sounds cute. And your reply sounds-..." He shuts up and puts his phone back into his jacket.

"You just hacked my phone?!"

Jason ignores his protest. "I see the attraction, though."

Tim glares at him then after a few moments his anger develops into curiosity. "My response sounded like what?"

"Oh, nothing." Tim's brows narrow but Jason tries to ignore his intense staring. He finally gives in and looks at him. "I just think you were trying too hard."

He looks back at his phone as the distress sets in. "Dang it! You're right."

"Of course I am."

"Just what kind of guy uses heart emojis all the time? 'She' doesn't even use hearts! I'm more of a teenage girl than she is!" Jason's eyes grow wide for a second as he inhales his food and starts choking on it. He pounds his fist against his chest until he recovers. "I'm making it obvious I'm sexually attracted to her, aren't I?"

Jason's eyes are still wide with disturbance as he considers what a huge nerd this kid is. "I think the word you're looking for is a 'romantic' attraction to her."

"...See! I can't even use the right words! I wonder what else I've been saying wrong in front of her. She probably thinks I'm a total freak. I get so nervous every time I talk to her and then I say stupid stuff like that! Now she knows I'm in love with her!"

"Just be yourself, kid. If she doesn't like you, so what? If you don't take a chance on love then the alternative is going through life always wondering what your life could have been."

"Don't take this the wrong way, Jason, but what do you know about girls? I know you were really antisocial as Robin, and from what I've observed, Red Hood is a full blown workaholic."

Jason raises an eyebrow. "Hey, I may not like people very much but I still find sometime to have a life."

"Really?" He said skeptically.

"Really... And aside from my experience with the opposite sex, I was also a mama's boy growing up."

Tim thinks about it, trying to figure out what that has to do with anything. "So?"

"'So'—she told me all sorts of stuff about girls. Stuff she probably shouldn't have been telling her 7-year-old... Not to imply she was a bad mom or anything. She just... wasn't always thinking clearly." He takes another bite of his food.

Tim's eyes narrows resisting as best he can not to over analyze the reasons Jason would cover for the negligence and all around bad parenting his mom aided in. "Okay, say she did teach you something that I haven't already read about, my question is, have you ever been in love?"

Jason looks off at the distance with a slightly uneasy look on his face. Tim tilts his head to the side to get a better read of his expression. Jason's eyes drift to the corner of his eye to look at him now aware that he's being studied. "Um, no...there's never been anyone."

"No one at all?" He said with a smirk as Jason immediately stuffs his face with food to avoid saying any more on the subject. This arouses Tim's curiosity even more as he wonders why he would lie. Did his heart get broken and he feels ashamed of it? "I've never been in love before either, well, until now... Oh, guess what? Batman wants me to introduce him to Steph." 

"Really?" 

"Yeah. He says he wants to guide her but he's not quite ready to share his secrets yet. I don't know why he won't just trust 'me' when I say we can trust 'her'."

"In your line of work there's no such thing as being too careful... But anyways--back to the topic of the cute blonde. Take my advice and start wooing her before some other guy comes along and sweeps her off her feet."

"Uh, don't laugh at me for saying this but... what's the proper way to 'woo' a girl? That word isn't exactly in my vocabulary."

Jason stops chewing his food and looks at him with a deadpan expression. Tim's phone buzzes again. They both quickly look at their phones. "Who's Bradley?" Jason asked with his mouth full. 

Tim ignores the fact that he's still intruding on his privacy. "He's one of her exes. I met him once when we were getting coffee and we ended up saving his life, and now he wants to rekindle their relationship and won't leave her alone."

"Sounds like a creep."

"Yeah, that's what I thought too. The guy even asked for her number and she didn't listen to me when I told her not to give it to him. Now she can't get rid of him."

"Wanna go scare him into submission?"

"Jason," he scowls and shakes his head.

"I'm serious... We can deal with him tonight or tomorrow. If you don't want your persona being a part of it, I'm happy to do it for you... Where does this Bradley guy live?"

"Like I would tell 'you'."

"Fine. Don't. It's your girlfriend... Hopefully she'll forgive you." he grumbled.

Tim looks back down at his text as he thinks back to the experience. "There really is something off about him, though."

"Any specifics?"

"I can't really put a finger on it."

"Hah, I should take it back. 'Smarter than Batman' my ass... I guess Gotham city news is wrongfully still promoting how amazing they think you are but only because they don't want to stop celebrating their relief that my run as Robin is over--and that 'no, this isn't a dream'."

"Well--yeah. But only because you were even more uncontrollable than Batman. People seeing Batman rescue bad guys from his teenage rabid sidekick, it doesn't exactly paint you as a very likable person... And wrong. I am as good of a detective as Batman, possibly better."

"Then prove it. Use your detective skills. Figure out what kind of person this Bradley guy is. For starters. Does he do drugs?"

Tim is embarrassed that he has no idea. He considers admitting the truth but he can't give Jason the satisfaction after his cocky remark. "Um, I'm not sure."

"Well, what does his complexion look like? Does he have a grayish pasty tone to his skin and adult acne?"

"Yes, and yes."

"And does he trash talk women more than men?"

"Yeah, he does."

"Showing other signs of being a misogynist?"

"Like beating up his past girlfriends? Yes!"

"Is he addicted to hardcore porn and-or constantly eyeing girls in the wrong way?"

"Um... I don't know for sure."

Jason frowns at him. "You haven't hacked his computer yet?"

"No. Steph asked me to stay out of it."

Jason stares at him then starts to smirk and shakes his head. "Wow, you really are a saint."

"Well-... I guess I try to be."

"Which makes me suspect you have a really dark secret you're desperately trying to hide." They look back at each other and after a long pause of seriousness, they both start laughing at the whole idea. They become silent again while they eat their food. Jason's eyes narrow as his thoughts drift back to the topic of Bradley the creep. "His last name wouldn't happen to be Hoff, would it?"

His mouth gapes. "Oh, god—you know him?!"

"Wow. Yeah, small world... He's one of my pawns. Can't stand the guy. I only keep him around because he's easy to manipulate and he's popular for some reason which helps when I need someone to influence the rest of my men. Major douche, though. Like one step below rapist kind of douche."

"Really?..." His jaw drops even further at what he's hearing. "I mean, I knew he was a douche but I guess I just didn't think he could be that bad--I mean, Steph dated him." 

"Yeah, well, let's just say he's a fucker and I mean that in the literal definition."

Tim's mouth gapes even wider. "Do you think he hurt Steph?!" Jason glances at him in the corner of his eye. "That monster! I should have- I should have—argh!"

"Calm down. There's nothing you could've done to prevent anything that happened to her in the past."

"Yeah, but I should have punished him when I first had the chance, no matter the cost!"

Jason pauses as a look in his eyes softens, cherishing how Tim would do anything for the one's he loves. He's honestly too good for this world, and especially for a tough life like crime fighting. Yet here he is, more than willing to do what needs to be done to protect those he cares about. That's the kind of friend Jason has been searching for his whole life. "No, you shouldn't have, Tim... You might feel angry right now—vengeful even. But you're too good for that."

"Oh, I'd happily stoop down to that level. I'll kill the bastard myself if I ever see him again!" He punches one fist into his other hand. Jason can see that look in his eyes: that look he has seen in too many men's eyes during battle, it's hysteria and a willingness to kill. Maybe tomorrow Tim would think differently on this topic but at this very moment, he'd probably do it given the chance.

"Yeah... But once you kill a man there's no going back... You become haunted every day by the face of the person you killed... You replay that sound in your mind of their bones breaking and their flesh being torn apart by your weapon... Killing someone... it does something to your soul... It rips you open... And it lets a darkness reside in you... It slowly takes over until one day, you realize, you don't even recognize yourself anymore."

Tim tries to believe him but for some reason, he doesn't see the wisdom in his words. "But sometimes, the worst sin is to not kill an evil person... I thought if anyone understood that it would be 'you'." 

"I can't believe I'm saying this..." He mumbles and exhales. "Just trust me when I say that Bruce's rules aren't for nothing. He doesn't make the no-kill-rule to allow bad people to get away with murder and rape. He makes that rule to protect the young partners he has. To prevent 'them' from having to live with those consequences...I didn't understand that for a long time... So maybe it's best you leave it to the hopelessly damaged people like myself to deal with it... There's nothing I haven't seen or done already..." He looks down at the road below them. "I'm not going to let you ruin yourself, kid... Because the only far worst thing than killing a man... is letting someone else you care about 'think' they have to obtain retribution for themselves... I'd never do that to someone I cared about." Jason pulls out a small canteen from his jacket and takes a swig to take the edge off of those old emotions that still haven't lost their sting. "This world needs more people like you... So don't take it lightly--because I've never said that to anyone." He takes another swig.

Tim's anxiety is eased slightly for a moment, but he still cant conquer his feelings. "I think you're wrong about me because I was mostly kidding earlier... I'm not what you think I am, Jason. I'm not a saint. I'm just a regular guy."

"No... You're a really good guy... And that's anything but 'regular'."

Tim senses his mood worsening into nostalgia so he tries to think of a way to bring him back out of it. "You wouldn't happen to have a crush on me, would you?" Jason glances at him and smirks baffled by the cheesy and pathetic comment, but he still cant help but smile. He reaches over rubs the top of Tim's head playfully. "Haha--kidding! Hey, you messed up my hair." Tim grinned as he runs his fingers through his shaggy locks to comb it out. Jason smirks then his eyes drift to the lights lining the empty streets below as he takes another swig and stared at the nothingness before him.

Tim watches him and senses his sadness boiling up again. His playful smile leaves his face as he thinks about all that Jason said, and more importantly: why he said it. A sense of shame arises in him the deeper his thoughts shift back to a time when Jason first showed up wearing his bloody Red Hood persona and terrorizing Gotham's criminals. Tim went through a time of feeling let down and confused about how this guy he used to admire so much could be so different now? Could dying really change someone that much? That idol he looked up to caused so much strife in the family, but still, he questioned if Bruce and Dick disowning him was the right thing to do, even though he did do a lot of bad things. Tim's skepticism and desire to see the good in everyone encouraged himself to do his own research before he comes to a decision on how he should feel about Jason Todd and his return from the grave.

So he dug up the contents of every record Bruce had on him, hoping it would bring clearer insight and understanding of his actions. Bruce kept all the files he had on Jason hidden in the most protected places on the bat computer. With hard work, Tim eventually shined the light onto the things hidden in the darkness of Jason's past; the past that Bruce had hoped nobody would find. He started with watching Jason's therapy tapes from back when he was new to being a hero. The contents were shocking, the things Jason said, and felt, in the safety of that small quiet room when he thought no one would find out about his secrets. It's astonishing how adaptable humans can be. The things some of them go through and you would never have guessed they've been through horrible stuff because they still find a reason to laugh. 

Dick thinks he knows Jason's story of his childhood, Tim thought he did too, but they both only know the outline of his story and some of the biggest parts of his story are missing from the book entirely. Bruce had these folders and videos which mean he knew what Jason went through, question is, did Jason know he knew? Did Alfred ever find out?

He had always wondered why Jason never ran away from home and unfortunately he uncovered the answer soon enough. His home looked like a safe haven in comparison to the street life. Gotham city has always been unpredictable, you're always guessing the kinds of crazies you'll run into on the street but despite Jason's parents being abusive, they were both 'predictable'. And that must have given him a sense of security. When he wasn't living in a moldy apartment, he was on the streets smuggling drugs for crime lords or getting kidnapped by his bosses rivalries. They thought it would be easy to break a 9-year-old with a little torture and manipulation, but Jason was never that naive when it came to his job, and he was no ordinary 9-year-old. Once his reputation of being smart and strong-willed they gave up on him and changing their goals to target other smugglers for information instead. Unfortunately, by the time they left him alone, Jason was 11-years-old and was considered old enough for another group of criminals to target.

Bruce put in his notes that Jason had been abducted at least twice when he was in adolescence, but the circumstances of his abduction weren't clear. It was also noted that both times he had escaped, the second time he freed a dozen other abductees. After discovering this, Tim couldn't help but wonder if his parents ever knew about it? And if so, what did they do to protect him before it happened again.

The one thing people don't understand is that Jason didn't change after his resurrection, he had always been Red Hood deep down inside, long before he was even Robin. Not by choice, but by circumstances. Batman always knew what he was, and what he was going to be, so he took him in and tried to save him from his fate and show him not only how to be a hero, but why he should be one. Regardless of how hard Bruce tried to put him on a better path and teach him the difference between 'right' and 'wrong', they all knew he would always be battling those habits, those urges, those demons.

While society saw Jason as a damaged beyond repair or even salvaging, Bruce was the only one who saw hope for a great man, and he never gave up on Jason. Until now. Tim couldn't understand that—the real reason he's ignoring Jason's cry for help: his desperate plea to be saved from himself.

Bruce and Dick eventually agreed to move on and ignore Jason's very existence. And in the following months, Jason started to spiral more and more out of control and living not only a self-destruct life but a more dangerous one for everyone in Gotham. Tim finally couldn't stand it anymore: the way Jason was acting, and the way Bruce was turning a blind eye and ignoring him. So he took it into his own hands. It took him weeks, but he finished searching every file on Jason: every therapy session, every home video, medical records and crime cases, and that's when everything started to unravel and the layers upon layers of misfortune, trauma, and cruelty that Jason was subjected to and conditioned by were painting a dark and violent portrait. And suddenly, Tim was no longer angry with Jason, and for the very first time, he didn't agree with Bruce's rules.

He felt Bruce was making that rule (of no association with Jason) because he didn't know how to handle what had happened to him. Everything from his childhood, and his death and return to life. His wrath and his war and his life. For the first time in a very long time, Bruce was reminded what it was like to feel 'fear'. He feared what Jason was capable of because if Jason did something horrible, would Bruce have to stop him? Would he be willing to kill Jason to protect others? Would it come to that? Probably.

Jason understood Bruce in ways no one else did and that made him a threat to everything Bruce had built. Bruce found it easier to abandon him then run the risk of losing another son, and god forbid, by Jason's hand. But if Tim's intuition was right, Jason had no intentions of killing his brothers. He was convinced that he just had a mean bark and no bite, and so his pursuit of being the bridge to reconciliation between Jason and the family began, and Tim took to the streets trying to track him down and hoping to find an opportunity to start a conversation with the Red Hood.

After some of Tim's persistence, Jason finally accepted the fact that Tim was stalking him, and he gave up trying to lose him. The weeks after that, Tim followed him around, getting closer and closer to him every day. And just like a wildlife photographer letting a wild beast get used to their presence, Tim did just that. He was the photographer and Jason was the wild beast.

He kept his distance but Jason always knew he was there in the shadows, always watching, always listening. Tim's method ended up working like a charm because within a couple months he was standing within ten meters of Jason without him running away. Of course, after a few minutes, Jason decided it was necessary to make sure Tim knew his place. So he manhandled him, roughed him up a bit: bloodying Tim's face and telling him to get lost. Still, it was a huge improvement. Jason didn't go out of his way to beat Tim up, he just beat him up for standing so close and staring.

As soon as Jason was done using Tim as a punching bag he went back on his path and Tim got to his feet, with two cracked ribs and several bruises and cuts, still refusing to be defeated. He followed after Jason, and after a few hours of trying to keep up, he collapsed from exhaustion and his injuries. He woke up in Red Hood's bunker somewhere in Gotham city, with the wounds Jason had inflicted on him now cleaned and patched by Jason himself. That was much more than Tim had ever expected, and he considered his wounds a fair price to pay to win Jason's trust enough that he was now willing to talk to him, civilly.

Suddenly Jason's voice interrupts his deep reminiscence of how they met. "You know... you and I still don't know each other all too well, but-" Tim looks down, still feeling ashamed of the fact that Jason has no idea that he knows everything about him. "I'm really glad I decided against killing you my first week in Gotham, back when I was stalking Bruce. You have no idea how many times I wanted to take it out on you."

"You did take it out on me, remember? I still got a few scars to prove it."

Jason thinks about it. "Oh, yeah... I guess I did... Still, it didn't stop you from following me around Gotham while I went on murder sprees."

Tim thinks about it and squints his eyes. "Speaking of murder. If Bradley, the henchmen, is such a pervert, why hasn't Red Hood put him down yet?"

"I told you... He's useful at the moment... But don't worry, I've always had the plan to kill him after he's outlived his usefulness to me... But I suppose I can afford to lose him earlier than planned."

"You'd do that for me? And Steph?"

"Sure. Why not?"

Tim carefully weighs the options. "I want to go with you... to kill Bradly." 

Jason looks at him, surprised. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah... I need to be there."

~***~

Present Day at Wayne manor. Jason sneaks into Bruce's office and shuts the door quietly behind himself. "Bruce, can I talk to you a minute?"

"What's up?" he said while sorting through paperwork.

Jason takes a seat and slowly rubs the two-day scruff on his jaw thinking through how to start the conversation. "Um... Well... I know you don't exactly approve of me and Steph being a couple." Bruce looks up from his paperwork. "And everyone wants Steph to be with Tim. And that... no one is exactly rooting for me. Tim's obviously not. And I know Dick is in cahoots with him. And Alfred is a smart guy, so he's definitely not either." Bruce gives Jason his full attention now but remains silent for the moment. "There's probably no one rooting for me."

"And you think that's unfair?"

"No, it's fair... but it still feels a little... unfair... It's like I-" he looks down searching for his words. "I want a second chance... And I know I'm probably the last person in the world who deserves one... But-... here I am... asking you for your blessing to marry Stephanie." he glances up through his lashes, carefully studying and patiently waiting for Bruce's reaction.

Bruce nods like it's taking a moment to register with him. "Why ask me, though?... Why not Alfred? He's generally more supportive."

"I don't know. I guess I just... wanted 'you' to approve of me being her husband... I also wanted to make it clear that I am not with Stephanie to be rebellious... I'm in love with her, Bruce... And I know I'll never be good enough for her... But I want to try to be..."

Bruce nods and ponders it for a moment then exhales. "I'm sorry. I can't give you my blessing... As both Stephanie and Tim's present guardian, I can't do that to either of them."

Jason sits there wondering if he should lower himself to begging, but his pride won't give Bruce the satisfaction. Especially when he knows the odds are still not in his favor. "Okay... Guess it doesn't matter anyways. It's not like me and Steph need your permission to marry." He stands up and heads towards the door.

"Jason," Bruce said loudly to stop him. "I can't give you my blessing 'yet'... Please sit down. I'm not done talking." Jason takes his time before he walks back to the chair and takes a seat. "Why do you guys want to get married so young?"< /p>

"We're happy together... I'm a better person since she's been a part of my life. And I actually want to be better, now."

"I agree, you have changed for the better... But is there 'something' else that is making you want to rush into marriage?... If there is, you both need to be open and honest about it."

He frowns. "I'm dying, Bruce. It's not like I have a lot of time left and I want to spend that time with her..."

"That's understandable... But is there another reason?"

Jason thinks about it then shakes his head, "No."

"Are you sure?"

"I know what my motives are. I won't speak for Steph, though."

Bruce rubs his face again. "Alright then... You both have my blessing."

"Really?" Jason's eyes light up as he scoots to the end of his seat, in disbelief at Bruce's sudden change in heart.

"Under one condition."

"Yeah, anything."

"You have to do everything in your power to try to find a cure... I can't condone your relationship progressing to marriage if you have no intentions to live to an old age... Once you start this with Stephanie there is no going back. I hope you understand that."

"I know... You have my word."

"Good..."

Jason starts to grin as his excitement grows. "Can I go?" He gestures to the door behind himself. 

Bruce smirks. "Get out of here." Jason jumps to his feet and races out of the room. Bruce shakes his head with a big grin on his face. "Kids."

Jason sits down on the bed in the quiet and safety of his room. He opens his nightstand and pulls out the little box with the engagement ring in it. He smirks thinking about when he should propose and how. He knows it's only a matter of time before drama picks up with Dick and Tim once they find out it's official, but those thoughts drift further from his mind as he grins at the pleasant thought of Stephanie's expression when he shows her the ring. He snaps the little box shut and places it back in the drawer but his smile leaves his face when he notices the stack of playboy magazines and USB sticks that aren't his, sitting in the drawer. He scowls and tries to cool his rage. 

Down the hall in Tim's room, he's laying on his bed reading when he hears a loud knock on his door. "Who is it?" He hollers but receives no response. He hears the door knob wiggling and then it unlocks and Jason walks in. Tim scowls, angry that he just picked the lock and barged in like that.

Jason shuts the door and locks it behind himself then throws the arm full of magazines, disc, and USB sticks down onto Tim's bed. "Really, Tim? You planted porn in my room?" Tim's eyes bulge with terror. "That's really low, especially for you."

"You always told me it's best to fight fire with fire."

"Yeah, but I never tried to make you look bad in Stephanie's eyes. Besides, I thought we were getting along again?"

"Oh, come on, Jason. Don't act like you didn't know I was playing you this whole time? I thought it was more than obvious."

"Oh please. I know you were playing me. You forgave me all too easily. But I still had 'hoped' that you would have a change of heart after sometime... But I guess I'm really just surprised with how low you're going in trying to chase me out of the picture."

Tim looks away and shakes his head. "I won't apologize for trying to save her from you. I love her... more than you ever will."

"...How do you know that?... How can you possibly know how I feel? How deep my emotions run? You don't know how I feel, Tim, nor do you know how I think!... So how can you claim you have a right over me because you 'think' you love her more than 'I' do?... It's been three years, Tim, and you never made a move. So sorry if I hurt your feelings. Sorry, if I didn't consult you before dating the girl you were never going to ask out..." He sighs and then sits down in the chair by the wall and lowers his voice. "I don't mean to sound harsh... but she chose me." Tim's eyes start to turn glossy. "You need to stop... Because no matter what you throw at me, it won't scare me off. I'm still staying with Stephanie..."

"To hurt me?"

"God, STOP!" he jumps to the edge of his seat and grips the arms of the chair, holding himself back, and startling Tim with his outburst. "It's not about 'you'!..."

Tim looks away and shakes his head, not believing him.

"Tim, I will do anything to prevent you from being hurt. Especially by me... But I will not give up Stephanie! And if you are making me choose between our relationship and me and hers then... then I choose her." He sees the hurt in Tim's eyes from the remark. Tim looks down as tears fall down his cheeks, and Jason looks pained by seeing his reaction. He rises to his feet, and takes his time, still dwelling on his thoughts. "I'm sorry, Tim... I tried to leave a dozen times... But I can't... I finally found happiness... So if you keep threatening me then I will make you regret it." Tim looks more shocked than threatened by the remark. "I don't want to, but I will... Just so we're clear... This is your only warning."

He walks to the door, but Tim hollers to get his attention. "You're the one who should be careful, Jason! Unless you want me to tell Stephanie about Grace Morrison?!" Jason stops in his tracks. "I paid a visit to her house that you have been so kindly financing for her to live in... I don't think you want me telling Steph about 'what'—I mean, 'who' I saw there. Big green eyes. Dark hair. About two feet tall..."

Jason looks back at him and pauses for a moment, then he grabs the door and swings it open. "Keep pressing your luck, kid." He slams it shut behind himself.

Tim grows angry rapidly before tossing the porn off his bed in his conniption fit. He reaches for his phone and calls Conner. "Hey... We have a problem."

He goes down to the cave in his workout clothing and one crutch supporting him. Bruce looks up from his detective work and notices him. "Tim?... Are you coming down here to start physical therapy?"

"Yep. I'm ready to get as fit as I can."

"Why the sudden change in attitude?"

"Oh, Jason motivated me."

"Really?... Good for him."

"No, he didn't mean to. I'm going to destroy him. And I'm going to win Stephanie back in doing so."

Bruce is silent, slightly feeling shocked by the melodramatic comment, especially since it's coming from Tim: his least dramatic child. Tim lays down on one of the machines and tries pulling 100 lbs. He shakes violently from weakness as Bruce watches him fail to lift it. "You know, before you lost a massive amount of muscle during your coma you were pulling 165lbs."

"I know. That's why I started at 100."

"Why don't you start at 20, then work your way up?"

"I can do this." he strains with all his might, his arms shaking violently as he finally lifts the cable an inch before dropping it and sweating from the workout. Bruce gets up and goes over to him and moves it down to fifty. "I don't need your help."

"Stop being such a bullheaded loner. You're starting to act like Jason."

"I'm not like him!" he snaps.

Bruce stares at him, seeing his eyes water while he tries again to move the weights. He does three full lifts then drops them down to rest.

Bruce sits beside him. "Tim, I know you're upset. But you can't make somebody love you. You can't while being fair."

"Who said anything about my intentions being 'fair'."

"That's not the Tim I know."

"Is this your way of defending them as a couple, Bruce?"

"No... As happy as I am to see you working out—there is something you need to know before you rage war with Jason."

"Whatever it is, I don't care. Nothing will change my mind."

"Jason is dying."

Tim looks at him and sits up slowly. "What?" His voice is quiet.

"Come." Bruce gets up and walks to the computer and Tim follows him and takes a seat. "He's been sick for awhile now. There's no name, no cure. And we don't even know what caused it. But if his test is right he'll probably be dead within a year." Bruce opens the folder that has multiple kinds of blood test results. "Jason just started being cooperative, and I was able to run more test. I'm having a team of Doctors arrive in a few days to see what they can find. I'm also trying to get in contact with the Al Ghul's to see what they might know... Alfred told me to keep you out of it because he thinks it will stress you out too much. But I really could use your brains on this one, Tim... The fact remains that his chances don't look very good... I know you are hurt about him and Stephanie being a couple but... I also know you will never forgive yourself if you don't try to do what's right."

"And what exactly is 'right', Bruce?... And for 'who'?"

"...I don't know, Tim... You've always been 'my' moral compass." Bruce lingers a moment before getting up and patting Tim's shoulder and heading up to the multi shower by the locker room.


	23. Peices to the Puzzle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to come to light, and some mysteries are beginning to unfold for Jason Todd. Meanwhile, Bruce finds himself now caught in the family feud, and strain is being placed on his and Tim's relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took me so long to complete. Thanks for sticking around! :)

\--*--

A woman screamed from the third house down in a dump of a neighborhood, awakening the neighbor's dog who sounded the alarm to the rest of the society. The shouting begins as it does every night at the small house on the corner of crime alley, but the cries of terror is merely the rhythm of the night, and Gotham's heroes are never near by to save them. 

“NO!! DON'T HURT HIM!!” The woman yelled in horror as her husband dragged their son to the next room. 

“Shut up!” He hissed at her, then shoving the boy against the wall. He bent down to look him in the eyes while gripping him tightly by the arm and brushing his hand through the boy's shaggy hair. “Do you remember... when I told you the story of my son Alex, from my first marriage?”

“You're hurting him,” The woman whimpered, trying to pry the man's hand off the boy's arm, but for all her effort it's ineffectual. 

“Alex... was never a bad kid... He did everything he was told. He never talked back or left the house without permission. Much less sneak out after dark. And he 'definitely' did not insult me--” He pulls out the bundle of cash and crinkles it in the boy's face angrily, “by going and doing illegal things so 'he' could be the one bringing home the bacon!” 

He slaps him in the face but doesn't find it satisfactory enough, so he slaps him several more times while holding him by the hair at the base of his skull. “Why?! Why do you have to be so defying all the time?! Why can't you just be a normal well-behaved child like everyone else's kids?!” His words slurred from the few too many beers he had earlier that night. Losing his temper he balls his fist and punches the boy on the cheek bone.

He squirms trying to escape his father's wrath. “I just wanted to buy that skateboard in Ferguson's shop! And you said you didn't have the money!” He whimpered, that young raspy voice of his sounding even raspier than usual. 

“You're lying to me, boy!”

“Please, stop!” His mother pleaded and pulled on his arm, trying to urge him to release their son.

Being handled roughly fuels the boy's defiance even more so he stares him in the eyes and raises his voice. “That's because you're a fat pig! And me and Mom were getting hungry because you only spend money on yourself!”

“Shut up!” His father didn't hesitate to slap him again. 

“You're just jealous, Dad! Because I only shared my food with Mom!”

His father laughs in disbelief at the tongue on his 8-year-old. “If my parents heard the way you back-talk... they would have thrown your ass to the curb years ago... But lucky for you, boy, I’m not my father.” His mother still clings to her husband's arm trying to pry the boy out of his grip. “But yous still gotta learn your place somehow.” 

He throws him to the floor and then takes off his belt, ordering his wife to go in the other room but she refuses. The boy crawls backwards with anxiety of what's about to come next. 

He grabs his wife and throws her outside the bedroom door then wedges a chair under the handle. He turns back to face his son. “I hate doing this to you, Jason... I really do.” 

He shakes in fear, all too familiar with the pain of what's about to come. He speaks up quietly. “Then don’t… I’ve learned my lesson. Honest!” 

“No. No, you haven't... But you will... Because it’s going to be a long lesson this time.” He folds the belt in half and pulls the two ends out letting the two leather straps snap together with a cracking noise.

“Dad, please.” He finds himself against the wall now as his father raises the belt and strikes him across the face with it. He covers his face with both arms to repel any further damage. He switched it to the end with the buckle, hitting Jason's stomach with such force that his ribs echo in his chest, forcing air to exscape. 

He begins to keep count and changes his position to a spot that will hurt the least, but his thin bony body provides no such place. 

The punishment is nowhere near finished but by the fifteenth, the boy lets out a cry of pain, but it brings him no mercy. Finally, the man stops to catch his own breath and wipe the sweat from his brow. He can see the spite growing in his son's eyes so he strikes him harder, trying to break him but still finding the boy's will superior to his own. He grabs him and throws him on the bed like a rag-doll. 

“I wish you were the son that died... Cuz Alex didn't deserve to die!” He said with tears in his own eyes as he whips him again, several more times. He stopped and stared at the crying boy on the bed, not showing a sign of sympathy. “Life would have been so much easier with you out of the picture.”

He sits up on the bed, staring his father in the eye and gritting his teeth. “I... Hate... YOU!!” He yelled full of venom and rage. 

The man nods with a sarcastic look on his face then walks towards the closet and starts digging through it, pulling out the few items that were kept inside. His son watches with tears streaming down his cheeks, trying to figure out which is bothering him more: his father's actions or his words. 

He realizes what his father is planning and is suddenly struck with fear and anxiety, so he tries to talk him out of it. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn't mean that... And next time I buy food I'll share it with you, okay?... Okay, Dad?... I’ll be more like Alex from now on. I promise.” He waits but his father isn't distracted by his plead. “Dad, you hear me?!” He yelled to him while wiping the tears off his face. “DAD?!” He shouted again with more intense frustration that his plead is being ignored.

He finishes what he’s doing then nears the bedside again as his son cowards in fear. He grabs him by the right ear and drags him towards the closet. Half way to the door, Jason trips on his untied shoelaces but his father doesn’t stop to let him regain his footing, instead yanks him harder as punishment and unintentionally detaching the boy's ear partway from his skull.

“OW!! DADDY, STOP!!” he cried, grabbing his father's hand to absorb the shockwaves of their footsteps and prevent him from ripping his flesh any further. 

He’s thrown to the floor of the closet then looks back up at his father. “You’re going to stay here until you’ve learned your lesson.” He slams the door shut leaving the boy alone in the pitch blackness of the small closet. A chain jingles against the outside of the door to secure it shut and hold him hostage in the improvised prison. 

He whimpers and pounds his fist against the wood. “DAD, PLEASE!!! DON'T LOCK ME IN HEEERE!!” He sharply inhales to catch his breath, nearly choking on his own saliva that's accumulated from being worked up into an emotional hysteria. “DAAAAAD!!!...” He screamed one last time with all his energy, desperate for mercy but as usual, he never finds it. A cold silence follows as he lays down on the floor whimpering quietly and pressing his lips against the crack between the floorboards and closet door, hoping his voice might be heard by a savior near by. “Mommy... Are you there?...please let me out... please... Mommy?...” 

He gives into the tears gnawing at him. His eyes swell and his skin burns from the saltiness of the sweat of his brows and skin. Most children his age are afraid of the dark, but he's been left in it so many times before and for so long that slowly, but surely, he becomes immunized to darkness.

 

~*~

 

Present day:

I watched him closely to see his reaction to every kiss I placed on his flesh, his eyes remaining blissfully closed with the slightest smirk on his lips. I kissed his eyelid gently then moved down to his cheek, admiring those handsome features of his. I ran my fingers through his thick hair slowly, then placing a kiss on his ear and whispering. “Do you have any idea how wonderful you are?...” 

He doesn't respond as I suck on his earlobe, I hear his breath shake a little from the gentle touch of my mouth. I slid my hand down the length of both sides of his skull, holding him firmly between both hands as I dive into the taste of his lips. I kiss him deeply, teasing that feeling in our mouths that drives us crazy for more, while I ran my hands down to his neck. I felt raised skin behind his ear that I had never really noticed before so I part from his lips to kiss his scar, like I do with all of them. 

I run my finger along the long line of raised skin at the space between his ear and hairline, then moving my lips back to that ear nibbling on it again before peeking behind his ear at the scar and placing a gentle kiss on it. I rub my thumb down the length of it when suddenly my curiosity completely kills the romance and my nurturing nature kicks in. “How did you get that one?” I asked gently. 

He blinked his eyes several times to wake himself from the slumber of my seduction. “Oh um-” He squints his eyes trying to find the folder in his mind that holds the memory, “I'm not sure,” 

“Do you think you got it before Joker or after?” 

“I honestly don't know, Babe.” He said with that raspy morning voice of his that only reminds me how hot he is. He looks at me with sleepy eyes and a slight smirk on his face, attempting to redirect my attention back to the pleasurable sensations my moist lips against his skin were providing. He lifts his head to kiss me again and then slowly lowering it back down to his pillow as my lips follow close to his, and we return to romance for the moment. 

His hands run down my back as we shift positions gently, until he's laying partially over me and caressing my face. He whispers softly to me. “I love you, Steph...” 

“I love you, too,” I wrap my arms around him and moan, “Ooh, I could sleep with you all day.” 

He kissed me deeply for a moment then it begins to escalate quickly as we both start needing more. I quickly try to get my pajamas off as he sits back on his knees hastening to get to the good stuff, too. I tugged at the waist of his sweatpants until he gets them off, then tossing them to the side. A knock echoed on the wood door, but I was too excited to care to respond and for some reason thinking that was a good decision. The bedroom door swings open. “AAA!!” I yelled before even getting a chance to see who it was. 

“FUCK!!” Jason tried to hide under the blanket with me but ends up falling out of the bed with quacking thump against the hard floors. Luckily he fell 'out' of Alfred's view. 

“Good heavens!” Alfred almost fled but then steps forward once he sees we're hidden, “When will you two ever learn?!” He said sounding genuinely angered. I hid every inch of my body under the fluffy blanket and lifted my head up to grin as though nothing happened. I do feel a little embarrassed for Jason though. “And—watch your language next time, Master Jason! I will not allow such profanity in this house!” 

I grab my shirt and slide it on under the large fluffy blanket then button it up. Jason pops his head up over the mattress to look at us. “Alfred, next time could you wait for a response before opening the door?”

“Or you two could just lock the door like every normal couple does.” 

Jason and Alfred both look at me. “What?... Okay—so I forgot to lock the door just this once.” 

“'Just this once'?" Jason asked, dumbfounded. "Steph, you never-"

“Hey, Aflred, is Steph up?!” Dick hollered from the hallway. Jason lays back on the floor again to hide just before he looked into my room. I sit up in bed appearing to be fully clothed in my pajamas now. “Hey, do you know where Jason went? I can't find him anywhere.” 

I shrug, “I haven't seen him.” 

“Oh, well, if you run into him can you tell him I've been looking for-” He frowns, seeing sweatpants laying across my bed. “Are those—Jason's sweatpants?” 

“What?-- No. Those are mine.” 

“Really?” Dick said with a growing grin on his face. "because they look awfully big for you." He looks around the room searching for a hiding spot that could fit a full grown man. 

“Master Richard, stop that!” Alfred tries to shoo him out and shut the door but he doesn't budge.

“Hey, Jason?! Do you know what happened to my nintendo? It's missing. Also is there any chance you could give me a hand with my car today or tomorrow? I'll pay you... plus it would be a huge personal favor that I'm sure to return one of these days.” He did an exaggerated wink at me, apparently lying about that last part.

There's nothing but silence for a few moments before he speaks up from the other side of the bed. “Tim has your nintendo. And I'll probably have time to help you with the car tomorrow.” 

Dick's jaw drops in disbelief, “Well, well, well. Isn't this a little—inappropriate? You know Tim is one door down and can probably hear you guys. Especially you, Steph.” 

Jason sits up abruptly and throws a pillow at him. “Dick! Shut your pie-hole!” He chuckles and dodges the assault while exiting the room. 

Alfred looks back at us as he shuts the door, “Don't stay in bed too long. Breakfast is almost ready.” 

Jason rose to his feet and grabbed his pants off the bed then straightening out the legs. He's unaware I'm admiring his masculine nude physique from afar, “Mmm,” I moaned lustfully. He looked at me and studied my expression as I flipped the blanket off me and pat the bed calling him over. He smirked then climbing under the blanket and pulling me into his arms to hold me for a little while longer. 

 

~***~ 

 

A few hours later, Bruce grabbed his cup of black coffee and walked down the stairs to the cave to start his never ending stack of work for another day. He usually is alone in early hours of the day until evening when the rest of the family starts migrating to the cave for any assignments. But this afternoon he finds someone in his seat at the batcomputer and unaware of his presence. “Please tell me you’ve gotten some sleep sometime from now and when I left you here last night?”

Tim looks up and turns to see who it is, the dark puffy bags under his eyes answering the question at hand. “I've been going over Jason’s test results searching for answers. But I just keep running into more questions.” 

“That was my predicament also. Perhaps we will find something if we work together on it?”

Bruce leans on the table and reads through his notes briefly. “Poison?”

“Don't you think it's possible?” 

“I suppose. But it's highly unlikely. I've steady the tests over and over. There's no sign he's being poisoned.”

“Yeah, but what if it's something beyond rare? We shouldn’t rule it out, right?”

“Yeah, maybe,” He squints his eyes to read the next theory. “A rare Lazarus effect. Exposure to radiation.”

“I haven’t explored those two much yet. Been working on some other stuff that led to a dead end. But the more I think about it the more I think one of those are the likely culprits. Maybe even both.”

“Did you see the chemical he's been injecting into himself?”

“Yeah. That drug is even more puzzling than the Lazarus pit.” 

“Speaking of the Lazarus pit, I've been trying to contact Talia to see what she might know but I haven't gotten in touch with her as of yet.” 

“That's too bad. I wouldn't be surprised if his ill health has something to do with the League of Assassins... Do you want me to try to track her down for you?” 

Bruce looked down at him through the corner of his eye. “No... You need to get some rest. I'll take over from here.” 

“Okay then you do that and I can run some more test on Jason--” 

“Tim—”

“Just to satisfy my curiosity.”

“Tim, you need some rest. That's an order.” 

“I will. I just need to finish a few things first. Oh, that reminds me. I have a questionnaire I'd like him to fill out but I'm going to need you to talk to him. He won't do it for me after everything that's been going on between us.”

“I don't want to press my luck quite yet. Stephanie has him being cooperative for the time being, but I'm not sure as to the extent.” Silence follows as he turns to look at the 19-year-old to discover a distressed expression worn on his brows. “What?” 

“So is that why you're not putting a stop to them being a couple? Because Stephanie's keeping him cooperative?”

“I'll admit that is one reason. But she also changed him for the better. Weapon and drug trafficking through Red Hood have gone down drastically and he's hanging around the family again—even if he doesn't talk to us much. The only reason he's living here is to please her... And... I'm grateful for that.”

Tim hunches forward and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Do you realize he bought her an engagement ring?”

He pauses for a moment. “So you've been snooping?” 

His jaw drops with disbelief. “You already know?! How did you find out?!” 

“Stop yelling in my ear.” He hissed.

“Oh my gosh, did he ask for your permission to marry her?”

“Yes, he did,”

“What? Why?”

“Because he wanted me to support him.”

Tim looks down with a stunned expression still resting on his face. “I saw him this morning... He was in a fairly good mood... which means... you said YES! Bruce, how could you?!”

“How could I what?!”

“Give him your blessing?! How could you do something like that to me?!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why would you encourage him to pursue marrying Stephanie without a second thought about who's heart it might break in the process?! H--how could you do this to me?!”

“Stop being so self-centered, Tim! Jason is a killer! He breaks a lot of people's hearts!”

“What the--?! Don't be so self-cen—?!” He rises to his feet abruptly. “I'm your family, Bruce! You should be putting my well-being before a bunch of criminals that Jason justifiably kills!”

A dumbfounded expression spreads across his face. “What?! I am putting my family first! It's just you and Stephanie weren't even together! I didn't realize your feelings ran this deep for her!” The tears forming in those gray eyes are distinguishable now, so he exhales the rest of his own emotions before he hurts Tim more than he already has. He sits down and leans on the table, massaging his temples. “I'm sorry, Tim... But I'm trying to do what I think is right... And Stephanie—and Jason... they need each other right now...”

His eyes fill with tears. “What about what I need?” 

Bruce is silent searching for a flawless response that can mend this situation, but he doesn't find one.

“You know what?... I no longer find it in me to help find Jason a cure.” He stands up and walks up stairs slowly while holding onto the railing to stabilize his shaky gate.

“Tim, wait... Tim!”

He stops and turns around. “Oh, and before you act on which side you take-”

“Ugh, I wasn't taking sides. I just know somethings you don't know.”

“Yeah, well, so do I... I wasn't going to say anything yet but I think you should know that Jason has a kid.”

Bruce frowns while resituating himself, eager to hear the full story. “What?”

“He's got a little kid. He's a couple years old, athletic for his age, brown wavy hair and big green eyes.”

“uh—okay? But what makes you think it's Jason's kid?”

“I talked with the mother and she confirmed all my suspicions. She said she ran into Jason a couple years back, which is coincidentally around the time her kid was conceived. Oh and get this. She named her kid 'Jay' after Jason Todd himself... Why would someone who's supposedly only be a friend name their kid after the said friend?”

“People do that all the time, Tim.”

“Not a suspected criminal-friend, Bruce!”

“This is Gotham City we're talking about, it's pretty high chance that two in three of your friends are involved in something illegal. So before you go around believing everything you were told you need to get the rest of your proof in order.”

“Proof?... What more proof do I need? She knew who Jason Todd was and admitted naming her kid, that looks like him, after him! How do you explain that?!”

“A coincident.”

“I would laugh but that statement is a little short of being funny.” He hissed.

“Tim, I know you want to win Stephanie back-”

“And why don't you want me to?!” he snapped.

“Because this isn't the way you go about it! I want you to be happy more than anything—I do! But Stephanie and Jason are a couple now. And if you really do love her... you will want her to be happy. Even if she finds that happiness with another man.” The room falls silent for a moment, Bruce patiently waits for it to register with him, “And it also means not jumping to conclusions. You need to find real evidence proving that the kid is actually his.”

“It is his. I know it.”

“That’s just it, Tim! You don’t know it! For all 'I' know, you’re just seeing what you want to see out of pure desperation! The kid probably doesn't look a thing like him—heck, maybe you even heard the wrong name.”

Tim steps forward defensively, “What are you implying, Bruce? That I'm delusional?!”

“No!... I'm saying that we need to find real evidence, like a DNA test for starters. And if the test proves you're 'right' then we'll deal with it accordingly.” He studies Tim's face, wondering if he heard anything he had just said.

He looks up. “Yeah. Let's get the kid's DNA. I'm sure it's going to explain perfectly why Todd is financially supporting Grace Morrison and her baby.” Bruce raises his eyebrows. “I hacked Jason's email and traced the location of one of the emails that ended with her saying 'I love you'. But sure, I'll go ahead and illegally collect some DNA to further prove that I'm right about this.”

Bruce frowns, wondering if he should point out that hacking is illegal too, but inhales and lets it go. “Okay, we'll go tonight then.”

“I can do it on my own.” He grumbled.

“You can hardly even walk on your own. So either I'm going with you or you’re not going at all. For all we know this woman has connections to the league of assassins. She could be dangerous.”

“Really? I wonder what would give you that idea?” He rubs his throat, remembering the feeling of her cold blade breaking the first layer of skin.

“I need you to promise me one thing, Tim.” 

“What?” 

“You’re not to mention a word of this to Jason. Or anyone! Especially not Stephanie. Not until we figure this out. Do I make myself clear?”

He considers it carefully before inevitably giving in. “Fine.” 

“I’ll meet you in the Batmobile at one a.m.” Tim nods before heading up the stairs again. “Oh, and Tim?!” He stops and looks back. “Just remember... this pursuit of yours... it won't only hurt Jason's life. It will impact Stephanie's in a very negative way, too.”

He considers his words carefully before speaking. “It’s not my fault Jason’s a screw-up... Stephanie deserves to know.”

He watches as Tim balances on his crutch then resumes the path up the stairs to the manor, and once he's out of sight Bruce sits down rubbing the headache out of his forehead. 

  ~~ 

 

The room was quiet except for the flipping of a page every ten seconds or so. Jason looks over the rim of his book at Dick, who's seated across from him scanning the pages of a magazine before losing interest and moving on to the next page. 

“If you want something better to read, I can find you a good book?” 

Dick looked over at him but only gives a cold shoulder and continues scanning the page of the magazine. 

“What? You're not talking to me now?...” Dick doesn't even look at him, rubbing in the fact he's upset with him today, for reasons Jason still hasn't figured out yet. “Must be hard for you. Considering how much you love to talk.” 

His eyes dart over to him about to bark out his words, but then he reminds himself: he isn't talking to him. 

Jason smirked almost finding it endearingly pathetic, “Tch.” 

The phone sitting beside him buzzes again for the 50th time. He glances up at Dick to see if he's paying any attention as he reaches over to grab Stephanie's phone off the coffee table beside him. He hacks into it to answer the obnoxiously persistent person on the other end, self-assured he'd know what Stephenie's answers would be. 

“Steph’s gonna kill you.” Dick sang from the other couch. 

Jason reads the message and frowns. “Hey, any chance you know who Alden Gould is?” 

Dick looks up from his magazine. 

“Is that one of her exes?” 

“Yeah. He's actually the worst one. Like she wouldn’t even tell Tim what kind of guy he was--he was that bad.” The crease between his brows deepens. After a moment it dons on him why Jason appears so grievous over the matter. “Oooh.” He dragged out the word as the conclusion takes a moment to process in his mind. “Did Stephanie not tell you about him?... At all?” 

He keeps a straight face as a desperate attempt to hide his emotions out of fear he'll be mocked for feeling a little hurt over the matter. “How much did she tell you about him? Just how bad was he? Was he abusing her physically?” 

“She was too embarrassed to talk too much about him. But if I had to guess from how much she did tell me, then yes... In case you’re wondering why she didn't tell you, it’s probably for the same reason I would keep it from you in her shoes.” He smirks loving the fact that Jason looks lost with questions.

“Which is--?” 

Dick rises from his seat, showing no desire of sharing what he knows on the matter. During that moment Stephanie entered the room. 

“Hey, Alfred wants to know what you guys want for dinner-“ She comes to a stop when she sees her phone in Jason’s hand. “Is that my phone?” She walks towards him and grabs it out of his hand. 

“You kept getting text messages.” He mumbled. 

“So you thought you’d read them?” She said with a judgmental look on her face. He studies her briefly, seeing she's far more upset than he had anticipated. He begins searching for a way out of this one and glances at Dick who is still standing by the couch with a grin on his face.

Stephanie looks behind herself to see why he's staring at Dick but finds nothing suspicious so returns to looking back at Jason then checking her phone. Her heart starts racing when she sees the nameless number and Alden announcing himself before giving his lame excuse of how he obtained her number. Worst of all, the message that follows is as shameless as ever. 

She tries to avoid looking concerned with this whole situation but her flushed cheeks are screaming guilt over the fact this is an ex she never bothered to mention. She can’t bring herself to look him in the eye now but she feels his glued to her, reading her in spades. She reaches the end of the message as her heart pounds in her chest at the unnerving crudeness coming from the man of her past, and suddenly she’s concerned Jason got that far into the message too. She types for a moment replying to his message then pushing send and looking back at Jason again, debating on whether or not she should tell him the contents of her reply so he doesn't think she's encouraging her ex in anyway. 

“Um... Just... don't ever hack my phone again please.” She said and then quickly retreats to the large foyer room when she hears the soft thumping sound of footsteps catching up to her. 

“So—why are you talking to your ex?” Jason said, trailing behind but she doesn't look back. 

“Who told you he was my ex?” 

“Dick did. But that's beside the point.” 

She turned around abruptly on the sixth step, finding Jason closer behind than she was expecting. He stops on the fifth step looking eye-to-eye with her. “There’s no reason for you to be jealous over it, Jason.” 

“What? I’m not jealous. You think I'm jealous of that creep?” 

“Then why do you sound upset?” 

“Because. You didn’t tell me about him and from the little bit I read—well, you should have told me about him. Just what kind of relationship did you guys have? Has he always talked to you that way?” 

“I know you’re worried about me and I appreciate that…But please, let's leave my past demons in the past. Nothing good will come out of it. I'm sure you of all people can understand that.” She studies him nearly buying into his seemingly indifference but when she looks deeper into his eyes she can see it. His growing lust for vengeance. “Stop it.” She said sternly. 

“Stop what? I didn't say anything.”

“Stop what you’re thinking about. You’re not going to lay a finger on him. Got it?” She turns back around and hikes the stairs when suddenly a thought hits her that maybe she should double down. She looks back to see him already walking into the other room, and the need to speak gets caught in her throat. She inhales deeply and continues up the stairs. 

Unnoticed to both of them, Tim was ease dropping on their conversation. He walks into the family room and shuts the door behind himself for privacy but sees Jason's nowhere to be found, so he goes across the room to the other entry and takes the hall to the secret elevator.

A short ride later he walks out into the cave and finds Jason already getting his brown leather jacket on. “So. What are you up to?”

Jason looks over at him. “Nothing.”

Tim nears him with a smirk on his face. “You going to kill her ex? Like you did with the last one?” 

He glances at him, “Get lost, Tim.” 

“She told you to stay out of it.” 

“And I’m staying out of it.” He said and then grabbed his helmet and walks towards his bike. 

“Sure. Where are you going then this time of day?” 

“Do I ever ask you where you and Conner go when you're trying to build your case against me?” 

“You know if anything happens to him, Stephanie will find out. And who knows, maybe the truth of where her other ex-boyfriend disappeared to might also come to light.” He smirked, knowing how much this must be killing Jason knowing he won't get away with killing this guy too.

“Which is why nothing bad is going to happen to him… Right, Tim?” He said with an accusation in his tone. 

He frowns. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Nothing. Just get out of my path before I run you over.” Tim steps a few feet to the side as Jason zooms by. His eyes follow him until he goes out of sight leaving him there in silence. 

~~

 

Stephanie jogs to her room then stopping just outside her bedroom door to delete the text messages from her ex and block his number, then opens her door to go fetch a sweater. All the sudden she can feel something abnormal. She placed a hand over her stomach and a few seconds later, feels it again: the subtle small thing poking against her hand. She gasped with excitement of feeling her baby kick for the very first time. 

She quickly races towards the door to go find Jason before he misses out on this amazing moment, but her excitement comes to a screeching halt when she remembers that he isn't a part of this truth yet. Her joy turns to grief as she slowly closes the door with her body weight and takes a seat on the bed. 

 

~~

 

Later that evening an envelope is placed on the inside of his nightstand to be concealed for a time, but easy enough to find if things do go south tonight. He exits the room and goes down to the first floor scanning each room as he passes then finds her sitting on a love seat in the parlor room with her nose in a book. He watches her from afar, letting his presence go unnoticed so he can have a little time to second guess whether or not meeting up with Roman Sionis tonight is such a good idea. It's not like he actually has much of a choice. He could give in to Roman's demands and pack up to leave town and never come back to Gotham, or he can hope to be able to sway Roman into making some sort of deal they'll both be happy with. Is negotiating with someone who hates his guts really the right way to go about it? If he's wrong, he'll be disarmed at the door, surrounded by his enemies and his life will be entirely in Roman's hands. To say he's pressing his luck, that's probably an understatement. 

His thoughts shift to the beautiful woman who is blissfully unaware that her life might change very soon. For now, the time has come to say his goodbye. He walks near her slowly as she looks up. “Hey, babe.” 

“Hey,” She smiles then looks back down and flips a page. 

“Um... I'm going to run some errands. Don't wait up for me. I'll be back late.” 

“Where are you going?”

“Just to deal with some stuff you wouldn't approve of.” 

She smirks, not taking him seriously. “Okay. So long as your trigger finger isn't too itchy?”

He nods with a gentle smile. “It won't be.” He walks towards her and leans down kissing her with a long passionate kiss while his hand gently directs her chin up to more comfortably connect with her lips. She sets the book down and wraps her arms around his neck to engage more deeply but before long he pulls away gazing into that beautiful face of her's. 

“Hurry home.” She said resting her hands on the thick of his arms. 

He nods while trying his best to hide the grief he's feeling. “Anything for you... Blondie.”

She grinned and bit her bottom lip as he stands up to leave, letting her hand slide down the length of his arm until they're both forced to part. Just as he reaches the door he slows down and looks back one last time as she goes back to reading and somehow he finds comfort at seeing her ignorant bliss. He takes a deep breath then turns and heads to the batcave to get his car. 

 

~~ 

 

Not long after, he pulls to the side of the road in his black sports car grabbing the duffel bag on the passenger side and getting out of the car. He's dressed as a pedestrian today, wearing his radiator sunglasses and a dark brown rustic jean jacket and blue jeans. He walks to the bus stop and takes a seat on the bench while looking at his watch which reads 6:58 p.m. He sighs and starts tapping his fingers on the wood bench.

The 7:00 bus pulls up and the people start boarding. He looks at his watch again to see it's two minutes past seven. He looks up watching as the doors close and the bus leaves. “Dammit, Grace.”

Not a second later a taxi pulls up and Grace steps out of the car. “Jason! I could use a hand!” He puts the bag crossing his torso and walks towards the car. “Sorry, I'm a few minutes late.” 

“Wouldn't it have been easier to just walk? You only live a few blocks from here.”

“I know you told me only to bring one suitcase but there were too many things I couldn't part with. I really was trying to get here plenty early but then I put Jay on the leash so I could carry more stuff. And people started giving me looks on the street as if I were abusing him. So I went back inside and called a taxi instead. He said he was a minutes away, but he didn't arrive for another fifteen minutes.”

“You could have called me. I would have picked you up, it would have been no trouble at all. Besides, you shouldn't care what people think, Grace. It's better you leash your kid like a dog than risk the kid running out into the street and getting hit by a car or kidnapped.”

“Anyone ever tell you, you have a way with words?... Grab the luggage in the trunk.”

He nods and walks to the back of the car and opens the already popped trunk to grab the two large suitcases. “You missed your bus.” He said to her. 

She puts a diaper bag across her body and a backpack on her back then grabbing Jay from the car. “I can still catch the next one, right?”

Jason reaches in the car and pays the taxi driver. “Keep the change.” He looks back at her. “Yeah, but it will take a longer route, delaying you more than an hour.” He stops and looks at the kid on her hip and lightly tickles his arm. “Hey, Buddy, remember me?” The kid smirks and hides his face in the crook of his mother's neck. 

Jason leads her to the bench to take a seat. “This bag-” He leans in and whispers, “it has enough money to get you started. If you stay in the country the money will go further, might be safer out there too. But just be sure to update me with your new address.” He pushes the bag towards her.

She looks up at him and smiles gratefully. “Thank you, Jason… for everything... And for trusting me to raise Jay.”

“He's lucky to have you. Even if you are a full-fledged criminal.” He grins.

She leans in and kisses his cheek. “If you ever get the chance. Please come see us?”

He nods, “I will.”

“And if I ever run into her—if she finds me. What do you want me to do?”

Jason thinks it through carefully. 

“I guess what I'm asking is... Do I have your permission to do what you should have done to that witch a long time ago? Or will you fault me for lethal self-defense?” 

He looks at her then at Jay. “Do what you must to survive... But nothing more. Last time I saw her she was in pretty bad shape, I don’t think you need to worry about her.” 

“Bad shape or not, she’s still dangerous.”

“Yeah. And she’s still the mother of my child.” He said with a stern tone. “Just don't do anything I wouldn't do.” He becomes preoccupied with the next urgent thought. “I have a friend in Metropolis who owes me a debt. I asked him to keep an eye out for you and the kid to make sure nothing goes wrong. His name's Harrison Kelly... He’s a good man. You can trust him. I'll text you his number.”

“Mama, I want down,” Jay begged. She lets him slide down from her lap and latched his leash to the harness, looking in every direction to see if anyone is watching. The boy leans down and picks up a penny and with a raspy giggle says, “Mama, wook. I be rich!” Grace smiles, but the anxious look remains on her face.

Jason grabs her hand. “It's gonna be okay.”

“Please don't send us away.” She said quietly. 

He reconsiders her plead but he can't think of another solution. “I have to, Grace. For more than one reason."

“I don't understand why you can't just tell your family? Why are you so ashamed of Jay's existence?”

He watches the kid as he starts picking up dead leaves and using them as imaginary airplanes. “I just... I don't want them knowing about him yet... The timing isn't right... You can still contact me the same way as usual. If I don't respond that probably means I'm dead. And if worst comes to worst, or the kid becomes too much for you to handle, I left an address in this bag for you. Only go there if you're ready to give him up.”

“Who's address is it?”

“An orphanage for homeless kids, it's run by the Wayne Foundation. Joseph will be safe there. And once they realize he's got lots of problems, they'll give him the help he needs.” The toddler sees a glimmer of silver hidden underneath Jason's pant. He lifts up his pant-leg to play with the knife strapped to his person but he leans forward and slaps the boy's hand away.

“'Jay' doesn't have problems, Jason,” She said defensively. 

“You know as well as I do that he's probably going to turn out rabid... I know you've bonded with him. But don't let your love blind you to the reality of the situation... And stop calling him 'Jay', that's not his name.”

“He won't become rabid.” 

He looks at her as she admires the little boy. “It's that kind of belief that will get you killed, Grace... I know the extent of his blood ties. I think I can predict him a little better than you.”

“Maybe--but blood ties aren't everything.”

"Yeah, but he's already been put through cultic psychological conditioning. People rarely recover from that... And the load of bad genes on top of that doesn't help any." He looks down fiddling with his hands and pushing the gum around in his mouth with his tongue, "As if my genes weren't bad enough, his mother is practically a psychopath." 

"You're far too judgemental, Jason... The world isn't as dark and dooming as you make it out to be." She studies Jay as he starts crawling on all fours to follow a beetle across the concrete. “He's a good child. And one day, he'll be a great man.”

He looks back at the kid watching him play and for a moment tempted to believe her. “All life is born innocent. And all life grows up to be molded. So don't let these sweet moments you share with him lure you into a false sense of security. We both know what he's destined to be.” She said nothing, knowing it wont sway him out of his opinion, so they sit in silence until the bus pulls up to the curb. Jason stands up and looks back down at her as she rises to her feet and picks up Jay and sets him on her hip. 

She and Jason stare at each other neither finding the right thing to say to equate their emotions. “...Goodbye, friend.” She settled for, then placing a hand on his cheek and planting a kiss on the corner of his lips. “I wish you the best.”

“Be careful out there...” He said, suddenly struck with an intense sense of sorrow at seeing her leave. It's harder than he was expecting, he hadn't even realized he was this attached to them. He exhales as their hands part and she heads towards the bus. 

He hands the luggage to the bus driver to load and then looks back at Grace as she stops at the door. She races back to him with the boy on her hip and digging through the diaper bag on the shoulder opposite of him. She pulls out an envelope and extends her hand. “I almost forgot... I had this since I first took Jay, hoping that when you caught up with me, to kill me, I could use it to bargain with you. But that was before I knew you were a big intuitive softy at heart.” She grinned.

“What is it?”

“Something you probably don't want to know.” She holds the letter tightly before releasing it to him, “If anything you told me last time we talked was true, then it's possible that the worst has happened. This is yours to know... but as your friend... I suggest you don't open it.”

“Lady, are you coming or what?” the bus driver hollered from the doorway with that strong Gotham accent.

She looks back at Jason then surrenders the letter to him. “Tell your family about Jay... It won't be as shameful as you've convinced yourself of... I hope one day soon you will understand that.”

They gaze at each other for a moment then she smiles with tears glimmering in her eyes and turning to take the first step up to the bus. Jay looks over her shoulder and back at Jason then waves. “Bye-bye, Daddy.”

Jason waves back at him, stunned by the toddler's remark. “Bye, kid... Take care of your mom.” Grace takes another step out of sight, then the doors close and the bus pulls out onto the road, leaving Jason with more sorrow to dwell with. He wasn’t aware he grew this attach to them, but knowing they were close by, where he could save them if they ever needed him, was comforting. 

He looks down at the envelope in his hand, tempted to open it. He slaps it against his other hand a few times then stuffs it into his jacket and goes back to his car. 

 

~~

 

Later that night Bruce and Tim pull up outside of Grace Morrison's house in the stealthy batmobile, surveilling the place for a few minutes before Bruce starts to climb out of the Batmobile. “Wait here.” He races towards the back of the house and goes to a window, “Shut off the security system.” he said over the commlink.

“Done,” Tim replied.

He quietly opens the window and climbs into the bedroom. He looks around the room and sneaks towards the baby's crib that sits against the wall to his left. He stops, finding an empty crib with not even bed sheets on in it. “The crib's empty.” He whispered over the comm. “I'm checking the master bedroom.” He opens the door then whispers, “Does Grace own any dogs that I should be prepared for?”

“No. I don't think so.”

He sneaks to the door of the master bedroom and opens it quietly, slowly nearing the bedside and pulling down the blanket to get the sample from the baby.

 

Not more than a couple minutes later he races back to the Batmobile and climbs in. “Got it.”

Tim types on his high tech computer and reinstates the security system. “It's back up and running.”

“Good, let's go.”

 

~~

 

An hour later Jason climbed to the top of a building across the street from the Gala hotel and looks through his binoculars. He spies through the windows seeing several men walking the halls and wearing suits. “Doubled the guard duty. Why am I surprised?” He murmured under his breath before climbing down from the roof top.

The city buzzes with cars, people, and all the other sounds that accompany just as he was pulling up to a parking space on the side of the road right outside a large ten story building. The revolving doors welcome him in but not even a few feet into the lavished foyer he's stopped by security. “Can I help you?”

“Sionis is expecting me.”

The man studies him carefully for a moment trying to take a mental picture of the contours of his face. “Red Hood, right?” 

“Yeah.” 

He nods. “Alright. Put your arms out.” 

He obliges as the guard begins to pat him down while more armed men stand by in case of any resistance. Another security guard runs a metal detector across his torso when it starts to beep. He pats his lower back then reaches under his jacket and pulls out a handgun that had been tucked into the back of his pants. He looks at Jason with a stern look.

The other guard pats each leg down when he finds something under the pant leg of his ankle and uncovers a dagger strapped to him. He removes it along with the holster, “Really?” 

“It was worth a shot,” He said, shrugging. 

They spend more time going over the places they had already checked, making sure there was nothing else hidden on his person. Stepping to the side he gestures to the elevator behind him. “Will escort you to the top floor.”

Six armed men crammed into the elevator with Jason, taking it to the top floor then the elevator opens to a hallway. “It's to your right.” One security guard said just as he was stepping out of the elevator. His company returns to the bottom floor leaving him there in a hall full of armed men. He heads down where two more men in suits are standing watch. 

“I'm here to see Roman,” He said authoritatively. 

They turned and open the door to let him through. There's a large bar at one side of the room and two couches sitting opposite of one another. The carpet is a deep red with matching curtains hanging on both sides of the large windows. The fireplace sits center evenly between both large couches, burning a deep golden flame. 

“He’ll be with you shortly.” He said then shut the door. 

Jason walks around observing the decorative themes around the room more closely. The door opens as footsteps near him at a confident pace and the owner's vibrational energy not being as dark as he was anticipating. He turns to greet him, hoping his warm display of civility will make negotiations go smoother.

The businessman is wearing a suit without its jacket and the absence of his black mask as he nears him with a smirk on his face. He reaches a hand out to shake while studying the younger man's face, his eyes linger on the sections of his face with the most scar tissue. Jason reaches out to meet the friendly gesture when Roman speaks up. “I see someone must have already gotten to you at some point.” 

Jason's deadpan expression conceals the growing resentment underneath, refusing to be generous about the details of his life story. 

“Should we take a seat?” He ushers him towards the couch before stopping on the way to pour two drinks at the bar. He hands one to his guest before seating himself on the couch opposite of him then casually crossing one leg over the other.

Jason glances down into his drink while the other persistently stares at him. “No need to worry, Red. I didn't poison it. I was serious when I said we might be able to work out some sort of deal concerning your annihilation from Gotham. Of course that all depends on how badly you want to stay alive and how much I actually can trust you to hold up your end of a deal.” 

"First of all, I have no interest in leaving Gotham city, Roman. Secondly, it's unlikely there's anything you have that would interest me--other than the last minute of my life you just stole back."

"Hmm... You know what I don't appreciate?" 

"Your insufficiency in foreseeing traps created by me?" 

"No--your strong and unusual opinions on morality sucking the life out of Gotham... You have no problem cutting someone's head off but we dare sale drugs to some teen punks and you get all triggered over it. It's annoying." Jason remains silent as Roman studies his features and the youthful look about him despite the scars. He sets his glass down on the coffee table between them. “Just out of curiosity, how old are you?”

He frowns, “Does it matter?” 

“Do you mean am I going to go easier on you now that I see you’re still just a kid? The answer would be ‘no’.”

“Good, cuz I'm already pulling my punches.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep, somehow I still have that pesky little thing called ‘a conscious’. And it just didn't seem right to beat up an old man.” 

Sionis chuckles and reaches across the table to slap his knee playfully but his guest only appears to be annoyed by his 'friendly' effort. “I have to admit I like you, kid. You've got spunk, it's refreshing… But the real reason I was asking is that I was expecting someone about 10-years-older. I almost feel bad I’ve been trying to kill a kid all these years.”

“And that there, Roman, is the only reason I haven't killed you yet.” 

He nods slowly searching for any hidden meanings in his comment. “You know—until today, I didn't think it was possible for a teenager to single-handedly give Batman and all of Gotham's underworld a run for their money. You've got a gift, son. A powerful gift...” he leans forward a little with a smirk growing on his face. “But does your mama know what kind of man she raised? And of all the many, many skeletons piling up in your closet?”

Jason shrugs slightly, “Don't know... Don't care.” 

“Does that cold exterior of yours help you conceal the bitter sting of shame?” 

Jason sets his glass down and looks up with a growing impatience. “I thought we came here to talk business, not bore me with your futile attempts at getting into my head.” 

“But are they really 'futile'? Cuz it seems to me I've kinda hit a nerve bringing up your mom... Am I right?" 

"Wrong." 

"Un-huh. So what's your story, son? What motivates you to do what you do best—you know—making enemies out of everyone you meet? Robbing people blind and killing anyone who tries to stop you.” 

“That's not entirely true. I haven't killed Batman and Robin.”

“Yeah. And I suspect not because you couldn't, because you won't... Word spreads pretty fast around the streets. And some associates of mine claim to have seen you saving Batman's life once or twice. And, well, let's just say it gives the impression you two are in cahoots.” 

“We are in cahoots.” 

“You admit it?” 

“I thought the bat symbol on my chest made it obvious, but I guess not.” 

Roman glares at him, no longer seeing his insults as charming. “I'd watch that tone of yours. Cuz you're already on my naughty list.” 

He frowns, “Wow. The naughty list, huh?... That’s not kinky sounding at all.”

“Hahaha!” Roman's deep resounding chuckle sounds faintly like a dying animal of some sort. “You know, maybe if you hadn't done all those things to make my life more difficult, I might actually get along with you well on a personal level." 

“Looks like I lucked out.”

“Yeah—unfortunately though, luck has a way of always running out.” He leans forward to refill his and Jason's glass to the rim. “If you don't mind me asking-" 

"I do." 

"What exactly is your endgame, son? I haven't been able to figure that one out yet. You almost seem like you're in it just for the heck of it. Hell, even Batman is more predictable than you. At least everyone knows Batman will always make the self-righteous choices. But you? I can't figure out what motivates you to do what you do.” 

“Vengeance mostly.” 

“And friends and family?” 

“No, I hate having liabilities. Which is why I killed all of the mine.” He said with a straight face. 

For a moment, Roman believed him. “You're a lot of things, Red. But you're not a psychopath.” 

He rolls his eyes and leans forward resting on his elbows, “Can you just stop pretending to know me, Roman. You don't.” 

He sips his drink, “Actually I know more about you than you realize... 'Jason'.” 

His heart skips a beat as fear rushes through him, wondering how much Roman could possibly have found out about him and how. Stephanie's face pops into his head with a growing dread, knowing things have finally taken a turn for the worst. “How do you know my name?” 

He smiles slyly. “I'll admit... I didn't discover it on my own. You've made a lot of enemies in your few short years of life—it's almost impressive actually... And it turns out we have a common acquaintance." 

"Who?" 

“Didn't catch his name." 

"If you don't tell me then our negotiation is over." 

He considers his options then looks away from Jason, taking a deep breath and shaking his head reluctantly deciding to indulge him. "A man came to town several months back. He found a way to get my attention. Turns out, we had similar goals... He seemed to know a lot about you, like your name for instance. And other small details that happen to fit your profile." 

"What did you give him in return?" 

"Sources. So he could track you down. Says you have something of his and he wants it back. Even if it means killing you to get it." 

“Was a woman with him?” 

“No.” 

“Did he say anything else?”

“Oh come on now, kid, you know I don’t kiss and tell--everything. Besides, what's with all the questions? If I didn't know better I'd think you're a little nervous... Which also makes me think this guy might actually be able to kill you..." A serious look comes over his face, "Please tell me I'm wrong.” 

Jason frowns, “What?” 

“Well if you can't stop him, who can? From what I've seen he's all but unstoppable. I'm hoping you know of a way to kill him.” 

Jason studies him for a moment then leans back in his seat and chuckles. “Oh boy, this is epic." He crosses his arms, "Let me guess. You gave him what he wanted, expecting my head on a platter in return, but instead, he now views 'you' as a liability... In other words, you got fucked-” He starts cracking up again. 

“Laugh all you want, Red, but he's after your head too." 

The smile slightly fades, seeing how distraught Roman really is over his predicament. He considers gently reminding him that this is the fate of all men who live by the sword, but then he decides against it. "He's already tried and failed, so I think I'm going to take my chances and ride this one out on my own." He rises to his feet to pour himself a stiff drink at the bar, still grinning with amusement of Roman's well-deserved fate. 

"So what are you going to do once your luck runs out? Sure you can run but for how long and how far?” He smirks, “Like I said, luck always has a way of running out... And the way I see it, once he takes you out, I'll be off the hook.”

“That's assuming you're even capable of lasting longer than me.” 

“Don't underestimate me. You aren't the one wearing this.” He pulls a beaded necklace out of his shirt. “It's charmed with a protection spell. Bad things happen when people try to kill me... I've already had two assassination attempts by his mercs. Didn't end so well for them, but still, this charm isn't a guarantee of safety. One managed to wound me last time... Lets just say it got me a little rattled. That's why I had to kill your men at that bar the other day. I was trying to get your attention since you're the one responsible for this whole mess.” 

“Hm, but am I?” 

“You pissed off a cultist with voodoo and God only knows what other abilities he has. Not to mention he's the paranoid type who thinks I'm going to rat him out. Which also means taking you out myself is risky business--could backfire.” 

“Well—he's not wrong. It didn't take you long before you came running to me with your story of woe.” 

“Yeah—well, desperate times call for desperate measures... All I wanted was you out of the picture. But I guess this is what I get for trusting a psychopath to take out 'my' sociopath.”

Jason's brows furrow a little at the fact his statement was possessive. 

“I was wrong, kid. Compared to this guy, you seem like an angel fruit cake.”

Jason frowns even more. 

“I get this feeling we're running out of time, this guy isn't playing games...” He looks up at him through his lashes, “But I'm sure you already know that, don't you?” He pulls out a cigarette and lights it then offering the pack to his guest. Jason shakes his head, declining the offer as he stands by the couch listening to him. “I know years ago when you first came to Gotham City you were on the run from something. I figured it was you're past or Batman even. But I was wrong... You were covering your tracks to hide from 'him'... The question is why? What does he want from you?... And why won't you just give it to him—before he kills us all?”

“I can't. Giving him what he wants isn't even an option.”

“You mean you don't have it?” 

He slowly brings his drink up to his lips. “I mean, 'it isn't an option'.” 

“Are you telling me you got a death wish for the both of us?... Dammit, Red!” He slams his hand on the coffee table, “What do you want me to say?! That I'm sorry?! Okay—fine... I'm sorry I tried to have you killed... But it wasn't personal.”

“Personal?” He takes a seat and sits back. “Taking a life is always personal... You'd know that if you ever did your own leg work.” 

Roman pauses in search for the right response to his condemnation. “I think it's in everyone's best interest that we form an alliance to take down our common threat... And after he's dead, we can go back to feuding each other over morals and money... It would be a win-win for both of us.” 

“One problem. I don't trust you at all, Roman.”

Roman abruptly pulls a gun with a noise dampener on it out from behind the pillow on the couch and slides it across the table. Jason's hand stops it before it fell off the edge. He picks it up slowly, on high alert.

Roman takes off the charmed necklace and slides it over to him then opens his arms wide. “I'm giving you all the power to end me right now... Because I'd rather be killed by someone like you than someone like him.”

Jason lifts the gun up and pulls out the clip, finding a full cartridge of bullets. He shoves it back in and aims the gun at Roman's head. A stunned expression comes over Roman's face just before the gun fires twice, each bullet whizzing by his ears. He quivers in his seat with fear at the near death experience then opens his eyes witnessing the gun being placed on the table and the marksman grabbing his drink. “Real bullets... Maybe you really are desperate.” 

“Will you join me?” 

“Depends... What exactly did you tell him about me?” 

“Everything I knew about you. Places you go and names of your top lieutenants. But that's it—that's all I knew.” 

He sits back trying to figure out how much his lieutenants may have leaked while being tortured. He drinks his glass down slowly then sets it on the table with a clank. “I'll help you. On one condition.” 

“What would that be?” 

“I'm in charge.” 

He weighs the options, not eager to put this hoodlum in charge over him. "Deal." 

"Perfect." He smirked, further arousing Roman's suspicions with his enthusiasm. “We're going to need more help. Your men alone isn't enough manpower.” 

“What about your men?” 

“Someone's got to be running Gotham and keeping Batman in check while we're preoccupied. 

Roman stares at him, “Why you rotten little scamming scumbag! That's outrageous! Why the hell would I allow that?! 

“Because I'm not giving you a choice. Because 'you' got us into this mess when you were trying to get me killed! And because we're probably both going to die!... There are penalties for your vacuous actions, Roman.” 

He exhales heavily with frustration, “Fine... I already have some more men for our cause. One of my partners has had a few run-ins with this guy and is offering me help in taking him down.” 

“Does your friend happen to want me dead as much as this psychopath does?” 

“I don't think so. But we can find out. He's waiting in my office right as we speak.” He leans forward and presses the button planted in the middle of the wood coffee table. “Send Corvy over.” He releases the button and rises to his feet just before the door opens. A large brute of a man standing six and a half feet tall enters the room. Jason looks in his direction, his eyes widen slightly as he sinks down in his seat and lifts a hand, casually obscuring his face from the new addition to the room. Just when he thought he'd get away with it, Roman turns to him and ushers him to his feet, "Actually, I'm quite comfortable where I'm seated." 

"Don't be rude, Red." Roman places both hands on his shoulders steering him closer to his friend. “Corvey. I want you to meet the pain in my ass most days.” 

The man grins flashing his gold grailed teeth and reaching a hand out to shake. “Red Hood, is it? The way people talk about you, I would have thought you'd be taller.” 

Jason looks down at his hand but rejects the friendly gesture. 

“Ignore his manners, Corv. He's not exactly a people-person—well, that is unless he wants something from you. Am I right, Red?” He chuckle and slaps him on the back much harder than what would have been considered polite.

“I'll try to overlook his manners then. Did you tell him about our little... problem?” 

“Just started talking about it,” 

Jason begins to zone out while watching the gray haired man yammering on, he fades into the history of his memories. Seeing it vividly and still remembering the deafening silence in the darkness of that small closet in his room, the room he spent so many days in. The room that started it all. 

 

\--*-- 

 

He was left to the darkness so long that it had become a silent friend, a thinking and feeling being of it's own. And later in life it aided him and comforted him when he needed it. But the light that shined through the crack between the door and the floorboards was always tempting to draw near to. He laid down on his belly planting his cheek on the ground as he peers through the crack. The line of view was very limited but the legs of his bed were in view and offered the slightest distraction to help him cope with the isolation.

He pressed his mouth to the crack and took a deep breath of the fresh air seeping in. He whispered a song to himself as his one eye examined all he could from his narrow view. “Somewhere... over the rainbow... way up high... there's a land that I heard of-” His voice cracked as he fought back the tears while singing in a slow broken tone, wishing himself away from this hell-hole. “-once in a Lullaby...Somewhere... over the rainbow... skies are bluuuue... And the dreams that you dream of... really do cooome truuue.” 

He pressed his head against his arm to cry into it then cradling himself into the fetal position until he falls asleep. It felt like seconds had passed when suddenly he's awoken to the sound of the door unlocking and opening. A blinding bright light falls on his face as someone places something in front of him. The door shuts and the jingle of chains lock him in again. He reaches in front and finds the loaf of white bread and the bottle of water.

It's been a few days since he's eaten so he stuffs his mouth full of bread when grief and anger hit him like a ton of bricks. “ARRRGH!!” He leans against the wall opposite of the door and kicks the door over and over in his fit of rage. “LET ME OOOUT!!! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!! I'll KILL YOU!! I'LL KILL YOU WHEN I GET OUT!!!...” his voice breaks as he drops his feet to the floor in defeat, and curls up in a ball again. “I'm sorry... I just want out. I just want out, Dad...” He falls to his side crammed in the four by four-foot closet. “Someone... help me... Please.” He whimpered before falling asleep again. 

How many days had passed? Has it only been days, or weeks? He contemplated those questions over and over, day after day, growing anxious with losing so much time. The rattling of chains on the door strike him with a slivering of hope. He tries to focus on the person standing in the doorway. “Jason,” His father's voice spoke up for the first time since he locked him in here, “It's been nine days. I think your punishment has been served... You're free to come out now.” He rolls onto his belly and looks up at the blurry dark figure standing against the bright light. “Clean up this mess in here.” He left the door open and went into the other room. 

Jason closed his eyes as he helped himself up standing on stiff legs for a moment, not sure what to do next.

His mother stood in the bedroom doorway, watching him. She smiled softly but he doesn't have the words to talk. He went into the bathroom and took off his clothes in front of her, putting his hands over his groin and standing naked waiting for her to finish adding the peroxide to the bathwater. She finished running the hot water then turned towards him to guide him into the tub, then wringing out a washcloth and wiping his skin with it.

He looked at her then spoke quietly. “Why didn't you get me out of there, Mom?... where were you?” 

She shamefully looks away from his piercing eyes. “I was scared... I wanted to get you out so bad.” 

“We could have run away... I would have taken care of you... Why didn't you just let me out?” His chin quivered. 

Her eyes fill with tears. “I—I just couldn't... I'm sorry, Jason.” She placed a hand on his cheek but he pulls away from her touch, then grabbing the washcloth from her and running it across his skin slowly.

She covers her mouth with the back of her hand in guilt, then rises to her feet and leaves the bathroom before she cries. 

After his bath he gets dressed and climbs into bed, laying on his side so he can look out the window at the stars. His bedroom door opens and the light from the hallway shines across his bed, obscuring his view of the faint stars of the night when his mother speaks up softly. “Goodnight, Jason...” 

He pretends to be asleep but the tears boiling up to the surface become hard to suppress. “I love you... more than you know.” She said but he doesn't respond.

Not long ago, he was never mad at her even when she was deserving of it, until now. This abandonment in times of need has gone on long enough, and the spitefulness inside is growing into a great hatred for both his parents, his mother still remaining the lesser of two evils. 

The moment she retreats and shuts his bedroom door he sits up, the tears flowing down his cheeks as he quietly climbs out of bed and opens a nearly empty dresser that contains all his belongings in the world. 

He grabs an armful of his things and stuffs it into his backpack: Some clothing, a Kubrick's Cube, legos, his favorite book, and his switchblade. He throws his clothes on and then quietly opens the creaking window and tosses his bag into the bushes below. He stops and looks back at his cold empty room one last time. “Goodbye, home... I probably won't miss you much.” He takes a deep breath then climbs outside grabbing his bag and racing down the street hoping for a better life on his own. 

It hadn't been more than three weeks later outside of an old gym when a boxer grabs his bag and heads towards the exit, unaware that a young boy is following him.

“Mister?” 

He looked over to the young voice. “You lost, kid?” 

“No... I was just waiting for you to finish practicing. You're pretty good. I don't think anyone could stand up to you and win.” 

“Save the flattery. If there's something you want just say it.” 

He breathes heavily feeling sorta anxious knowing this is probably too much to ask of someone. “I... I want you to train me how to fight... So I can take down people bigger than me.” 

The man stops and turns around to study his face for a moment. “Kids at school bullying you?” 

The boy twitches a little then clears his throat. “More or less.” 

He crosses his arms. “Okay. I charge sixty dollars a month.”

“Sixty bucks!?” 

“Yeah. And we'll meet twice a week.” 

“But... what if I don't have sixty bucks?”

“How much money do you have?” 

The boy quickly looks down as he digs through his pockets and pulls out a wad of money. He glances back up briefly at the man then starts counting and straightening out the dollar bills. “Um... I have eleven dollars and forty-six cents.” 

The boxer leans on his car door and rubs his chin thinking it over. “Is that your allowance?” 

A nervous look comes over the boy's face. “No, Sir... I have a job—little jobs to do here and there. I can make a lot of money sometimes and can give it to you.” 

“Is it a legal job?” He asked, nearly laughing at the thought of it, but the boy doesn't find it amusing in the least. It dons on him something is off about this kid, he looks exhausted and wearing dirty clothes that look to have been slept in, and the boy possibly hasn't showered in a couple weeks, all of which point to one thing. He looks around with a look of confusion. “Where are your parents anyway?” 

“Um, I live just a block from here... They gave me permission to come down here so-” 

“Okay, go get your parents and your birth certificate and then we can talk.” He starts to get into his car, leaving the boy with a growing urgency. 

“But!” He neared his car to stop him, “What if—what if I don't have parents?” 

The man pauses for a moment. “A legal guardian should suffice.” 

He starts up the engine and begins to pull out towards the road but Jason runs and jumps on the hood of the car to stop him. He comes to a sudden stop and opens his car door, just as the boy climbed off the hood. 

“I don't got a legal guardian either! I got no one!” 

“you're a runaway?” 

“I...” He takes a deep breath, finding no lie that would be more effective than the truth. “I can't go home, Sir, not until I know how to fight.” 

“Home life's that bad, huh? You know there are special homes for kids needing protection.”

“I can't go there either.”

“Why not?” 

“Because... I hate people... A lot.” 

“Do you really hate them? Or were you bullied?” 

He nods slowly with shame on his face. “Please... Teach me how to fight...” 

He considers it then nods. “Okay... Meet me here tomorrow morning at 8. Will try to work something out.”

“Thank you, Sir!” He reaches out with both hands and shakes the brute's hand. “You'd be doing a real honorable thing.” 

He nods with a smirk. “Call me Corvy.” 

 

~*~

 

There's a muttering sound of Roman and Corvy's casual conversation that Jason is comfortable distancing himself from. He stares at the brute in front of him, seeing how badly he aged. And even more disturbingly: that he aged at all. 

“Did you hear that, kid?” Roman said cracking up still. 

“Yeah. It's hilarious,” he said with a deadpan expression and not the least bit interested in their conversation. 

He turns back towards Jason, “I'm looking forward to getting better acquainted with you, Red Hood.” He offers a friendly hand to shake once more, but again, it's rejected. “Well—anyhoo, I got to go home to my wife and kids. You know how women bitch when you come home late.” He slapped Jason in the stomach with the back of his hand, trying to get him to laugh.

“Tell the wife I said hello.” Roman said.

“Will do. Let's meet tomorrow night to make plans on taking that entitled rich boy off his throne of terror. See how he likes getting his ass handed to him.”

“Sounds like a plan.” 

“I'm busy tomorrow actually.” Jason said to them, “But you two can meet up and start the process without me. The last thing I want to do is risk wasting time getting better acquainted with either of you.” 

Roman chuckles and pinches his shoulder fondly. “I love that sass of yours. Reminds me of myself in a way.” 

“Ugh-” Jason grunted. 

“Well, it's late. I'll be seeing you boys later.” He stops and looks back at Jason, studying his features one last time. “You should keep that face of yours covered. Never know who it might attract.” He winked and turns to shut the door behind himself, leaving Jason with an overwhelming urge to revolt. 

Roman looks back at him. “Lighten up, kid. He's calling you pretty.” He grabs another bottle of scotch. “Tell me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me you and Corvy have already met?” 

“What gives you that impression?” 

“I don't know. Maybe it's your extra rudeness from the moment he first walked in the door.” 

“Don't know what you're talking about.” He sips his drink. 

“I'm not an idiot, Todd. I know when something is up... Something deep.” 

Jason stares him dead in the eyes momentarily then starts for the door, patting Roman on the shoulder as he passes by. “Maybe you should consider getting better friends.” He swings the door open then looks back to find him still staring in the direction Jason had been standing moments earlier. “Goodnight, Roman... Take care of yourself.” He waited for a reply but when there is none he shuts the door as Roman sips his drink, slowly. 

 

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this chapter leave a kudos and a comment below. And tell me what you thought of this chapter/story.


	24. The Big Question

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The skeletons in Tim Drake's closet begin to be uncovered, but will the family find out about his fall from glory? He takes an ultimate defeat in his battle with Jason, for the love of Stephanie Brown, when Jason takes her on a date and pops the big question. Will this end Tim's pursuit at chasing Jason out of the family and away from the love of his life? Meanwhile, more drama and secrets are beginning to unravel, Conner Kent has added to the list of problems when he did the unimaginable, and now Stephanie has found herself in a frenzy of anxiety over her secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I am so so sorry I didn't get around to posting another chapter like I promised. I got so swamped with school and life, so I couldn't find the time to finish this chapter.
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this next one though! And hopefully I will be able to get more posted soon.
> 
> Note: I decided I am no longer writing in first person. I'll reform the older chapters eventually.
> 
> Enjoy!

\--*-- 

Many years ago:

There was the sound of brittle bones snapping and the static shuffle of crumbling leaves beneath their boots as Jason and Tim traveled through the woods carrying a body with them under the cover of night. Tim stumbled over fallen branches on the forest floor barely able to haul the heavy load that's bundled up in a blanket. “When I said 'kill him', I meant humanely. Not bashing his head in with a weight.” He hissed with tears in his eyes.

Jason glances behind himself to make sure he's not running into any bushes or trees, “So, I got a little carried away. No need to cry over it.” 

“A little?!” He drops the legs of the corpse that he had been carrying. “You smashed his brains into mashed potatoes right in front of me, Jason!” 

“Hey! You’re the one who hired me to do this job—remember? And the job, I did.”

“Yeah, but why couldn’t you use your gun or something less radical?” 

Jason drops the torso half of the corpse. “Tim, he was a predator! And you said you wanted to help me kill him after the way he treated Stephanie. Sorry—but that gave me the impression you didn't care whether or not I fluffed some pillows up first.”

“I meant help you break into his apartment while you shot the guy! But nooooo—you decided to revise the plan—without informing me first—then interrogated him before inevitably smashing his brains in eight freaken times!” He hissed then shoved Jason as a growing sense of resentment took root inside his soul. He's left to face the undeniable question of what the hell he was thinking—expressing his vengeful thoughts and emotions to a blood-thirsty and severely traumatized vigilante like Jason Todd. He knew Jason's reputation better than anyone, he studied him extensively and should have seen that this spelled 'disaster' from the very beginning, but instead, he relied on Jason to talk him out of his vengeful pursuit. Now he is indirectly responsible for killing someone. Not to form the implication their victim was a nice guy, but nonetheless, this is the first time he crossed that line of right and wrong. He has foolishly and uncharacteristically put himself on a path leading to the cold darkness of an endless abyss—like it did for Jason Todd. “You also spent thirty minutes interrogating him—as if the actual murder part wasn't going to be bad enough. In all my years working by Batman's side—I've never seen anything so morbid, Jason!... I'm actually haunted by the memory now... I'm scarred for life,” A growing look of perplexed terror is worn on his face, “I'm damaged goods.” His voice squeaked as he stares off into the distance while it resonates further, “Like you.”

Jason rolls his eyes, “My god, Tim, seriously—you need to stop being so dramatic about it... Don't get me wrong, I know this guy was a creep, but I already told you I don't sacrifice my pawns for just anyone. So why are you surprised that I interrogated him first? You really just expected me to what? 'trust' your opinion that this guy was as bad as you claimed? ”

“Yeah, Jason! That's why I've been bribing you with food these last few months—so we could hang out and build a relationship of trust!” 

Jason stares at him, trying to figure out if he's joking or if this really is the truth of the matter. “Really?... That's...Gosh—and all this time I thought it was because you didn't have any friends so you settled for me.” 

Tim scowls then shakes his head and paces back and forth. “I just can't believe I'm now your accomplice to a murder!” 

“Yeah, well... it was consensual.” 

Tim spins around abruptly to look at him, “I resent that!” 

“So do I! But you don't see me balling my eyes out over it!” 

Tim covers his eyes with one hand and breaks down into an uncontrollable sob. Out of a growing sense of guilt, Jason tries to think of a way to make it up to him but the woof of sewer coming from the corpse urges him to finish the job before working on the collateral damage. “Just... don't think of it as 'your kill'. Think of it in the terms of 'you standing ideally by while I killed him'...” 

Tim becomes silent and uncovers his eyes and shakes his head with an expression of bewilderment. “That's literally what happened!” 

“Okay, I'm sorry! I thought it might sound better if you heard it out loud... I don't know what to say—I'm not a 'fixer', Tim. I'm not good with this emotional damage stuff—I mean—obviously.” He shrugged a gesture at himself. “I just... I need some time to find the right thing to say to you.” 

“Don't say anything. You've done enough—I don't think I can trust myself around you anymore.” 

Jason frowns slightly taken back by the comment then it's followed by a sense of urgency. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” The crease between his brows and his tall muscular stature draws a menacing image but Tim's assessment of Jason's emotional state convinces himself that he's not set to blow any moment now. “You know what—don't answer that. Could we just—ugh—finish burying this guy? The smell is triggering me... I knew I shouldn't have left my helmet at home.” He reached down and grabbed the corpse and began dragging him through the thick brush of the forest.

Tim wipes a tear from his cheek with the back of his sleeve and reaches down to carry the legs. “You know, I have this crazy thought that maybe this is actually how you try to make a relationship closer—am I right?”

“Oh my god, Tim, can we talk about this some other time?” He drops the corpse again, deciding to grab the short shovel strapped to his back and bury him in the surrounding area.

“'Hey,'” Tim started in a phony voice, “'why don't we go traumatize ourselves together so we can set our relationship on a whole new level!'” 

“Wait a second—sarcasm aside—are you saying you feel closer to me now?” Jason said as Tim looks around silently scolding himself for planting the idea into Jason's head. Jason nods slowly, “Interesting.” 

“What?” 

“I didn't think your mind could go to such dark and manipulative places... It's unsettling coming from a puritan like yourself.” 

“That was not what I was doing!... I was thinking this is literally the worst moment of my life! I feel sick to my stomach—I think I'm going to vomit,” he whined, “Maybe... Maybe I should just tell Bruce about this. He might make this better... First I thought heck no, he'd kill me, but actually, I'm thinking he might just blame it all on you for being a bad influence. Actually—no—he would blame it on you but he'd still never look at me the same way ever again. Not that I can blame him. Oh, my gosh, what if he actually tries to put me in prison?” Jason dropped the shovel and walked towards him as he continues yammering on then becomes silent as Jason approaches and stops a few feet from him, “What?” He dared to utter. 

Jason balled his fist and punched him quickly in the left side of the jaw, sending him flying backward a few feet and before he could ask himself 'what hit him', Jason's boot was pressing down on his throat trying to put him in an unconscious state. Tim flailed about but failed to gather enough strength to resist this brutal intrusion of mutual trust. His eyes began to close and he falls victim to being trapped somewhere between sleep and death. 

“Finally... silence.” He muttered down to the sleeping Robin. 

 

~***~

 

Present day:

The afternoon at the Manor was like all other days, everyone was busy doing their own activities and living a low-key lifestyle before the fall of the night when they get to put their work clothes on and go out living as heroes and anti-hero. Today, Dick was eagerly searching the house for someone to hang out with or something to do. He was jogging down to the cave with a light spring in his step when he noticed his car sitting out in the workshop and its hood sitting up on its stand. 

Jason slides out from under the car with sweat glistening on his smooth yet scarred torso. He grabs hold of a rag and wipes the grease off his hands before tucking the cloth into the back pocket of his low riding jeans and leaning over the hood of the car, unaware Dick was watching from his flight down the stairs. He slows down to a casual pace when he catches sight of a nearly two foot long raised scar running down the length of Jason's spine as if he had been crushed under something at one point, his bones tearing open the flesh on his spine, or so Dick imagines. Though his curiosity is killing him, he knows better than to poke around for the story. “Jason?” 

He turns his head quickly in his direction. “Hey,” He said uncharacteristically chipper as he walks in the other direction to the driver's side of the car and leans in to start up the car, letting it rumble and purr before climbing back out and looking over at Dick with a smirk on his face. “All she needed was a belly rub.” 

Dick's brows furrow with bewilderment. “You... you started without me?” 

He frowns slightly, not expecting this response for his efforts, “Yeah... Why—whats wrong?” 

“I... uh... Nothing—I guess...” 

Jason nods slightly but not actually believing it. “Okay,” He reaches in and turns off the car and tosses the keys to Dick. “She's all yours... Now pay up.” He said while shutting the car door and sounding somewhat with fondness in his tone. 

“Yeah—how much do I owe you?” 

“We agreed upon two-thousand.” 

Dick clutches his money tightly between his fingers and looks up at him. “That seems awfully high for a belly rub.” 

“Do you know what a belly rub consist of? It isn't an easy task. It took me all morning. Now pay up.” 

Dick stares at him skeptically, trying to figure out if it really was that much labor or if Jason is just trying to milk him for all he's worth. “Uuuuuh—fine.” he counts out two-thousand dollars and hands it over. “Here.” Jason holds the bills up to the light searching for the ghost of reassurance. “They're real, Jason.” 

“Can't be too careful. Nice doing business with you, Dick.” He starts to leave with his hand full of cash and a devilish smirk on his face. Dick was walking away but then suddenly stops and stares as Jason starts cleaning up his tools. “Hey, uh, Jason?” He looked back in his direction, “Is there any chance you have another car you plan to work on?” 

He tosses a tool into the toolbox. “Yeah, why?” 

“Well. I was thinking it would be cool if we, um, bonded a little over cars--or something.” 

He paused to consider it carefully before ultimately brushing it off as being full of ulterior motives. “Ew—gross.” He chuckled but Dick doesn't share in his amusement. 

“I'm serious... Bruce told me one of your hobbies was building cars from scratch... We could do that or just fix up an old one... And—well, I never got the chance to learn anything about them other than the basics. Bruce never had the time to teach me. And I guess I just don't have a natural intuition for them... So I just thought it would be a cool idea if—,” 

He pauses seeing an aloofness come over Jason's face as he stops what he's doing and stares at him skeptically.

“Um... If you, um, taught me a thing or two.” 

Jason remains painfully silent, setting Dick into a frenzy of anxiety and thinking he never should have opened this can of worms, he didn't think he'd feel this uncomfortable about it. “Yeah—I think I'll pass. Thanks though.” 

He sees the growing expression of grievances across Dick's face bringing the revelation to him that maybe he wasn't lying, maybe this was actually a sincere attempt to bond. Not that Jason could ever bring himself to forgive Dick for past transgressions (such as rejecting him as Robin and then siding with Bruce on his return to life) in order to enjoy bonding with him ever—he's unfortunately much too distrusting of a human being for that.

He watches as Dick turns around to leave with his mind somewhere in another dimension of some sort. “I mean,” He spoke up hastily to stop him, “I guess I could find the time...” Dick turns back and stares at him, pausing several moments too long and giving Jason the overwhelming sense that maybe he misread this situation and has now put Dick on the spot. “I mean—uh,” 

“That would be great.” 

Jason nods slowly still over analyzing the entire situation before becoming aware of the progressing uncomfortable silence between them, a silence Dick is uncharacteristically allowing to exist. “Okay then... We can start on it sometime this week. Might take us a while to build just because I'm sorta busy.” 

“Can't wait. Honestly.” He paused for a moment then slapped Jason's shoulder unsure whether or not now is a good time to hug him or if it would be counterproductive; given the growing look of discomfort on Jason's face—it's probably the case. 

They stare at each other another few moments then Jason finally speaks up, “Dick, is there something you wanted to add? Because... you're making this sorta weird.” 

“Nope. That was it...” He starts to step away still keeping his eyes glued to Jason then stumbling and nearly falling over a chair. He knocked it down and looked back to see if he lucked out and Jason had turned his back already, but to his dismay, he had witnessed the whole thing. Dick reached down to pick up the chair and set it on its feet laughing nervously as he looks back at Jason again to see if the expression of his thoughts had turned to judgement, but the only expression was a baffled one--debating on what is responsible for making Dick this nervous and bumbling. Dick waved casually then hastily hiked up the stairs, leaving Jason alone to ponder the possibility that something is up.

 

~*~

 

Stephanie walks into Tim's room to find him seated at his desk and looking over paperwork. “Hey, Tim?” He looks back at her wide-eyed and hastily gathering up papers from his desk and shuffling them together to obscure the content from her eyes as she walks towards him. “What are you doing?” 

“oh—hey, Steph.” 

She walks towards him carrying a tray of steak, casserole, and broccoli. “Alfred wanted me to bring this up to you.” He nods but doesn't take the food. “You just gonna make me stand here and hold it for you?” She said, urging him to snap out of whatever it is preoccupying his mind. 

“Oh, just set it anywhere you'd like.” He said turning his attention back to his paperwork as she nears him and places the tray on top of it forcing him to look up for the explanation.

“Alfred said you hadn't eaten anything since lunch yesterday.” 

He shakes his head and pushes the tray away from himself. “Alfred's too much of a worrier.” 

“I worry too... You never take the time to take care of yourself. It's not healthy.” He doesn't look up and for a second she thought he must not have heard her. “So what are you working on?” She pulls one of the pages from the pile and scans over it, finding most of it written in scientific terms and numbers that go over her head. At the top of the page, it has written 'test subject: Jason Todd'. Tim looks up and snatches it out of her hand. “Please don't disorganize everything.” 

She scowls at him, not liking his attitude or the possible motives for secretiveness. “What kind of test did you run on Jason?” 

“Many kinds.” 

“Like?” 

He looks up and sighs. “Steph, I really don't have the time for this... Besides—shouldn't you be someplace else? I thought you and Jason were going on a date?” 

He can sense her mood souring. “We are... but it's not night time—now is it, Tim.” His eyes narrow surprised she would repay him as she would with anyone else. He was once on her good side and a privileged friend who would never find himself a victim of Stephanie Brown's ridicule—or so he thought.

“I was just... saying... Don't you think that's a little inappropriate—I mean—now that you and Jason are getting pretty serious?” 

She stares at him as he turns his attention back to his work, using diligent penmanship on the lined paper of his notebook and leaving Stephanie with a clear silent message. She shakes her head a little to snap out of the realization that this was all counterproductive, so she walks towards the door in defeat but pauses to look back at him. “You know you're wrong about him...”

He turns towards her but couldn't bring himself to tell her what he was really thinking on the matter, so he stays silent. She had hoped for an answer to settle things, to mend the breaks, but there was nothing but a beckoning silence taunting them both. Her eyes slowly wander away from his as she turns to leave him with the company of his paperwork. 

She shuts the door behind herself and pausing for a moment to process her emotions before she cries. She lets out a heavy sigh then walks towards the staircase and runs into Conner Kent as he took the final step from the staircase up onto the second floor of the Manor. “Oh hey, Brown.” He said steering himself to the right to clear the path for her but she blocks his pathway and shoves him, back but it was more or less like trying to shove a brick wall. “um—what was that for?” He doesn't notice Jason passing through the foyer downstairs and coming to a stop to shamelessly eavesdrop on their conversation on the second floor.

“I think you know exactly what it was.” Stephanie hissed while trying to keep her tone as neutral as possible. 

“Seems like you were trying to assault an alien who could literally kill you with only a look.” 

“I want you to leave Tim alone, Conner. You hear me?” She said, stepping even closer to challenge him to a battle of wits. 

He cringes at the high pitch sound her voice gives off when she's mad and feisty, “Yeah, loudly.” 

“Ever since you've been coming around Tim's been getting worse.” 

“Really?... In what way?” 

“You know exactly what I'm talking about. I don't like what you've been turning him into.” 

“Which is?” 

“Not himself.” 

“You think I'm responsible for Tim going nuts?” He chuckles sarcastically, “Wow, way to use me as the scapegoat. I didn't do anything to Tim. You and that killer of yours did.” 

She snarls and aims to slap him but he grabs hold of her wrist before she touched his cheek, squeezing it firmly and staring her dead in the eyes as a silent but strong warming not to test him again. “HEY!” A deep and slightly raspy voice hollered up to them, they both glanced down into the foyer as Jason races up the stairs towards them, taking Conner's attention away from Stephanie. He remembered the advice Tim had given him; not to underestimate the paranoia of Red Hood, so he promptly x-rays him head to toe in search of any sign of krytonite on his person. Jason looks down at the teenager as he invades his personal space to apply pressure to him and make sure his intentions are clear. 

“Whoa,” Conner mumbled in amazement, “Didn't realize you were so tall.”

“Let go of her, Kent.” He narrows his eyes with a venomous glare. “Or is it 'Luther'?” 

He glances back at Stephanie with raised eyebrows then back at Jason, “Well, that's rude.” Jason grabs hold of his wrist tugging at him to release his grip, Conner caved to the demand, not that Jason could actually do anything to move him. 

“If I ever see you touch her—”

“No need for threats.” 

“Then don't ever try something like that again.” 

“Like what? I seriously didn't do anything to her. I was just walking by when she assaulted me.” 

“As if you couldn't handle it. Besides... you probably deserved it.” 

He parted his lips about to spew out a poorly formed comeback but hesitates as his hypersensitive hearing catches a faint thumping sound coming from somewhere nearby. He tilts his head to the side a little and looks back over at Stephanie momentarily, measuring her head to toe before slowly turning back to face Jason again with glaring eyes. “Kinda like how you deserve to get beaten after what you did to Tim.” 

Jason's glare intensified as a sarcastic smirk on Conner's face amplifies the tensions even more and an explanation was withheld on the tip of his tongue. He resumes his path past Stephanie and down the hall to Tim's room. He stops at the door and looks back at them, “Congratulations by the way.” 

“For what?” He said, still livid that this reckless Kryptonian had the nerve to lay a hand on Stephanie. He's not confident in Conner's character or that he actually knows his own strength. 

The paranoia and sense of guilt Stephanie was feeling began to fester in a wave of emotions, causing her heart to pound in her chest as the truth of the matter became apparent to her: that Conner may have committed the ultimate sin of invading her privacy. Conner looked at her again and smirked knowingly before briefly knocking on Tim's door and inviting himself in. The moment the door closed she let out a quiet suppressed sigh of relief and slowly turned back to face Jason as their eyes met in a long but comfortable gaze. 

“Be careful around Conner, Steph. I get the sense he's a little shady—who knows what he's actually capable of.” 

“He's Tim's friend. He's not going to hurt me.” 

“How do you know?” 

“Because Tim wouldn't be friends with someone who he thought posed an actual threat to our family.”

“I don't think Tim's judgment is really all that good. I mean—he did think I was a nice guy at first, too.” 

She rolled her eyes, “Then trust my judgment.” 

His thoughts were racing as he recalls the list of bad relationships she's gotten herself into. To avoid hurting her feelings he keeps that concern to himself and smirks softly while closing the space between them and gently brushing her hair behind her ear. “All I'm saying is don't underestimate anyone... I don't want you getting in over your head.” He said then placing a kiss on her lips. 

She slowly opens her eyes and smirks, “Tell you what--” She placed a hand on his chest then looked up at his face, “You stop being so reckless in general and I'll do the same... What do you say?” 

He considers it but knows it's an unrealistic goal. “How can I say no to you?” He said anyways and leans in to place a kiss on her forehead then with a gentle touch holds her in his arms for a few moments longer. 

“I mean it, Jason.” She said quietly. 

“Shhh,” He said, excusing himself in a manner as if she was interrupting their romantic moment—but only to avoid having to actually agree with her sentiment.

 

~*~

 

“Hey, Tim, you wouldn't believe what just happened in the hall,” Conner said as he made himself at home in his room.

“You ran into Stephanie?” He said not turning around to greet him.

He flopped down onto Tim's bed, “It was your one true pairing.” 

Tim looks back at him, “Something significant happened?” 

Conner grabs the stuffed animal off the bed and fondles it in his hands. “Yeah. Apparently, Stephanie doesn't approve of you hanging out with me.” 

“Really?” He asked with a befuddled expression. 

“Yep,”

“Strange... Did she say why?” 

“She seems to think I'm 'changing' you.” Tim frowns while turning back to his desk slowly—analyzing this new and perplexing information. Conner looked down at the teddy bear in his hands and squeezes it a little, “Tim, why the heck do you have a teddy bear?” 

“I was going through some old keepsakes and I accidentally left that one out and haven't gotten around to getting the box back down again.” 

Conner mouths the word 'wow' to himself then realizes Tim is watching him and now glaring. “I'm not lying, Conner.”

“Okay—I believe you.” he tosses the bear in the air and catches it then scoots to the edge of the bed. “Hey, just out of curiosity... do you think its possible that Stephanie and Jason are... um, that maybe they have some significant reason they're still together?” 

“I don't know. Why—what are you thinking?”

“Nothing. Just thinking out loud.” Conner watches as Tim turns away from him again and resumes his work, “Oh hey, you up for some crime-solving later tonight?” 

“I don't have time, Conner.” 

“Oh come on. It's not like you to turn down hunting a serial killer. The GCPD found a body in the woods by Crescent Lake.” 

“By Crescent Lake?” Tim turns in his seat to look at him again slightly stunned and intrigued by this information, “Did they identify the body?” 

“No. But this is the 15th body they've found in that area this week! Some hunter's dog uncovered bones and when the cops got out there, they started finding more bodies. Seems Gotham's got another deranged serial killer on their hands.” 

“Fifteen... You think there's more?” 

“At this rate—probably. If not for that flooding in the area last spring those bodies probably never would have been uprooted.” 

“So it's a graveyard.” He whispered to himself as a matter of fact.

“No ordinary graveyard, these guys were all murdered—some violently.” 

“How long have they been decomposing?” 

“I think the oldest corpse dated back around five years ago.” The loud thumping of an increased heart rate draws Conner to a brief silence as he studies Tim's face searching for an explanation. He pulled out a newspaper from his jacket and tosses it to Tim from his seat on the bed. “If Batman isn't already on the case then I think we should go out on the town tonight—do some hunting of our own. Catch this serial killer before he strikes again.”

“I, um, I don't have time tonight.”

“Make time.” 

“I can't.” 

“Really? You're passing on solving a mystery? You?” 

“No, I'm just busy today. Maybe we could check it out tomorrow.” 

“Well, okay, I guess. You sure you're okay, Tim?”

“I'm fine... I'll call you tomorrow.” Conner's brows scrunch closer together, “I'll call you.” He repeated while staring at Conner silently urging him to leave.

He starts to stand up slowly, “Okay I'll take a hint—you're trying to get rid of me... Can't imagine why though.”

“It's nothing personal.” 

“You know whatever it is bothering you, you can trust me with it. I won't judge.” 

Tim smiles softly, “I know.” 

“Good... I guess I'll see ya later.” He slowly opens the door and closes it with the same delayed pace, but as soon as the door closed Tim hastily pulls out the newspaper and searches for the article.

 

~*~

 

Down one story, Stephanie walks into Bruce's office and hesitates, searching for her words to begin with. "Got a minute?" He looked up from his desk as she shuts the office door behind her then turning back grinning at Bruce with a certain confidence about her. “What's up?” He asked. 

"I've made a decision and I think it's time I tell Jason about the baby…" 

He's stunned by this problematic proclamation, for reasons Stephanie is oblivious to. "Is that so?" 

"Yeah… Why--what's wrong?” She said as her smile faded to a look of concern. 

“Nothing.” 

“You think I shouldn't tell him yet?" 

"I think that Jason has a lot on his mind. I have important things I need to discuss with him and he may not like to hear it. The news of the baby on top of that might be overwhelming." 

She disappointingly takes a seat in the chair across from him, absolutely shocked by this sudden withdrawal of encouragement. "Can't you put it off for a while? I've been withholding this secret from him for a really long time now, Bruce. I don't think I can keep up excuses much longer. I mean—I swear my boobs are already getting bigger." 

Bruce closes his eyes prudishly then pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs, annoyed she would lend such unnecessary details. "Stephanie, I know you're anxious. But I really need him to be focused, it has to do with his illness." 

"Oh… What exactly are you planning?" 

"Just discussing more options for treatment. And you know how he gets about the subject." He sees a suspicious expression on her face. “What?” 

“Nothing... I guess if you really think it's best to wait... then... I'll wait... Let me know when it's a good time.” 

“I will... Oh--Hey Steph?” She turned around before opening the door. “Have you put any more thought into what you really want to do with this baby?... Have you been considering all the options?”

“Yeah.... I decided it will all depend on how Jason handles the news.” She turned to open the door and shut it behind herself. 

Bruce sighs again and mumbles under his breath, “Maybe you're betting on the wrong thing.” 

\--*--

 

Thirteen Hours Earlier: 

Bruce and Tim returned home from a delicate task and head towards the science table to start the process of abstracting the DNA from the sample they took earlier that night. Bruce takes a seat and pulls his cowl down and takes his gloves off. He puts a hand out to grab the DNA tube from Tim but he withholds it.

“I can do it, Bruce.”

He nods and resumes a task he had been working on earlier that night on the batcomputer, but he's sure to keep an eye on Tim. 

Not much time had passed when Tim started dividing the proteins from the DNA, he takes it to a scope to study and compare it to Jason's own file which contains a copy of his genetic code. He proceeds to study both extensively, comparing one to the other and double checking: this time letting the computer do the work. The result appears across the screen, his brows crinkled together as he slowly leans back in his seat for a moment processing the newly obtained conclusion. 

Bruce looks over at him, “Well?” 

“It's... It's not a match.” 

“Oh... Well... maybe I can double check?”

“There's no point.” He said rising to his feet with perplexity surmounting his neutral expression, “Somehow I... I was wrong... Jason's not the father of that kid... You were right. I must have been only seeing what I wanted to see.” He said, gathering up the evidence and disposing of it promptly, “I'm heading to bed... Thanks for the help, Bruce. Sorry, it was a waste of time.” 

“Yeah—anything.” He watches as he limps up the stairs to the manor with a numb expression on his face. “Goodnight, Tim...” His words go unacknowledged but once he's out of the batcave Bruce rises to his feet with a speedy gate until he reaches lab and starts a new sensitive task. He double checks over his shoulder every so often to be sure no one catches him as he pulls out a small clean swab stick and container, and place them into his belt before returning to the batcomputer to search surveillance cameras around the globe for Grace Morrison: the mother of the child in question. Meanwhile, he uses the next computer to gather as much information about her as he can, but that information is surprisingly hard to find.

 

~*~

 

Present time: 

Jason paces in the foyer back and forth, he stops by a mirror hung on the wall and unties his bowtie to start over then steps back to examine how it looks. He sighs and unties it again to start over. Bruce walks by and stops when he sees him all dressed up for the evening. “Tonight's the big night, huh?” 

Jason turned slightly to look at him then turns back to the mirror to complete the task at hand. “Yeah, but keep it down. She already suspects.” 

Bruce walked up behind him and looks over his shoulder at the mirror watching him start over again with the bow. “I hate these stupid fuckers,” Jason grumbled, quietly.

“Here.” Bruce pulled on his shoulder to turn him towards himself, then proceeds to straighten the two ends of the bow and tie it. He glances at Jason's face for a moment, finding him to be unusually silent. 

Jason exhales a shaky breath. “Is it normal to feel this nervous about a date? Frankly, I'd rather be somewhere risking my life than this.”

Bruce smirks, “You sound like me.” He finishes the bow then brushes off Jason's shoulders. “There... You look good.” 

“Thanks... Hey, Bruce... I still have your blessing, don't I?” 

“Yeah,” He pats his arm gingerly. “Why wouldn't you?” 

“I just had a feeling that you changed your mind.” 

“Nonsense... Come here.” He pulls him into a hug and holds him for a moment as a sense of worry stricken him, robbing him of joy for his son's significant occasion. He puts a farce smile on his face before he pulls back to look at the young man again. “Don't stress too much about the date, Jason... Just be yourself and do what you know to be right.” He lingered for a moment then starts to walk away, leaving a lasting effect. Jason balls one fist and squeezes it tightly to work out the stress, then goes back to pacing back and forth and over analyzing Bruce's last comment. 

 

Stephanie comes to a stop at the top of the stairs and looks down into the foyer where Jason is still pacing slowly with his hands in his pockets and looking devilishly handsome in his dark suit and his short luscious locks of hair were parted to one side and brushed back. He looks up and sees the elegant beauty at the top of the stairs wearing a mid-length black dress with sleeves that fall off the shoulders, her hair was in a loose and low sitting bun, and she wore modestly embellished high heels and a dainty diamond necklace. 

He gazes up at her with unchastened infatuation in his eyes while she cautiously descends from the stairs until she reaches the ground level and smiles at him. The closer she gets to him the shier he becomes and looks down at his shoes briefly, then takes a deep breath to compose himself before looking back up at her again.

“You look gorgeous.” He said, his voice cracking slightly, the very thing he was consciously trying to forestall.

She smiles softly, “Thank you,” She studies him up and down to take in how dashing he looks. “You look really beautiful too. I mean—handsome.” He smirked and put out a hand to escort her to the front door where her coat was hanging, so Jason stops to assist her with getting it on.

“Now you two drive careful,” Alfred said as he comes towards them in the foyer from the kitchen. “And, Master Jason, no speeding.”

“Okay, Alfred.” He said still staring at Stephanie with a soft smirk on his face.

“Do you both have everything you need?”

“Yes,” Stephanie replied.

“You look so beautiful, Miss Brown.”

She was about to say 'thank you' when she sees Dick coming over to join them. “You really do, Steph.”

“Thank you, both.”

Alfred reaches over and tucks a few strands of hair back into place as she glances over towards the boys and sees them staring at each other as if they were verging on having a brotherly moment. Dick shoves something into the pocket of Jason's suit jacket. “Don't forget to fasten your condemn.” He said somewhat quietly, but not quite enough, and with a smirk on his face trying to make Jason feel uncomfortable.

Stephanie looks over at Jason to find him looking more flustered and annoyed by his remark than she had predicted. He tries to get the little packet out of his pocket but glances over at her and sees she's watching them, so he shoves the item back down to conceal the content from her.

Dick pats his arm with a growing grin on his face, and starts herding Jason to the doorway. “Alright, you two. Have fun. But don't do anything Alfred wouldn't do.”

Stephanie opens the door and can feel Jason standing close behind her nearly stepping on her heels trying to urge her to go faster, but she feels no need to hasten and continues to block the threshold.

“Oh, and Master Jason, don't park too far away. Miss Brown is wearing high heels.”

“I noticed, Alfred.” He grumbled.

“Oh and don't forget to smile. Unlike Bruce, you're way less scary when you do it.” Dick added, still full of amusement.

“Miss, don't forget to bring an extra coat with you, it might get cold later tonight.”

“And make sure you guys answer your phone when I try to contact you. Because if you don't, my brotherly instinct my kick in when you least expect it-” 

Stephanie glances back to see if Jason is already strangling him but surprisingly he's only giving Dick a cruel look; his target remains unfazed by the bad vibes he's sending him, he even smiles bigger, bordering on laughter. “Oh and, Jason, remember to-!”

Jason slams the door shut quickly in Dick's face then looks back at Stephanie and fakes a smile. He sighs and opens the door to pop his head back in. “Sorry, Alfred.”

“I appreciate the apology.” He said from the other side of the door. “Have fun!” He lowered his voice, picking up on how nervous Jason has been this evening over the date. “And just breathe.”

“Just for clarification, Jason.” Dick started again as Jason was shutting the door, “He said 'breathe' not 'breed'!” Jason pauses then moves a few inches forward like he was considering a form of vendetta, but Stephanie tugged on his arm, reminding him of his priorities tonight.

With Dick still chuckling in the background, Jason shuts the door extra quietly this time then turns to face Stephanie as he grabs her hand and leads her to his car parked in front of the steps of the manor. He opens the door for her and helps her in then shutting it and going around the car to the drivers side. He sits down and looks over at her and grins. “You ready?”

She studies him for a moment, trying to wipe the (probably very cheesy) smile off her face. “Yeah. It’s well past time you took me on a proper date.”

He shifts the gear of his car into drive and then grabs her hand gently in his one freehand and drives away from the manor.

 

 

Thirty minutes later they pull into the parking lot of a small elegant restaurant that's in the upper class country setting and sitting by a lake. The gazebo is wrapped in warm stringed lights and the outdoor section of the restaurant seems to be reserved. Jason pulls into the parking lot and parks under a tree; he watches Stephanie as she stare at the romantic sight of the silver moon sparkling on the water top and the soft warm glow of the candles on the table sitting outside, with flowers and champagne glasses. The door on the drivers side opens and gets out of the car to go open her door for her. 

He holds her hand as they walk towards the reserved area while a waiter comes out to greet them. “Good evening. Did you have a reservation?”

“Yes.”

“Your name?”

“Jason Todd.”

The man looks at his iPad for a moment. “Have a seat.” He leads them to the table and sets their menus down as Jason pulls out Stephanie's seat and pushes it underneath her at the perfect timing for ease. He takes his own seat and grabs his menu. 

“I will be serving you both this evening. To begin, is there anything I can get you to drink?”

Stephanie's eyes sparkled with the candle lights as she grinned at Jason flirtatiously, dying for the waiter to leave so they can start a conversation, Jason returns the flirtation before remembering our waiter was standing and watching us. “Oh!...” She looks over at the waiter to find the slightest smirk on his face, their flirtation apparent and amusing to him, “I'll have pink Moscato.”

“And for you, sir?”

“Domaine Leroy Musigny.” He said star struck and not even looking at the menu. 

“Alright. I will be back in a moment to take your orders.” He turns to fetch our drinks. 

The moment he's out of sight Stephanie leans in a little with a grin on her face. “This place is so beautiful. How did you find it?”

“Alfred. He said it's the kind of place every girl should visit at least once in her lifetime.”

She grins then notice that shy giddy nervousness about him, normally he’s levelheaded even during highly stressful situations, and right now, they're just on a date and he looks entirely unnerved by it all. She studies him and bit her bottom lip. “It’s all so beautiful tonight... I’m almost afraid I’ll ruin this perfect evening somehow.”

“That’s impossible. You are perfection itself.” His voice broke a little while a shy grin spread across Stephanie's lips as she stares into his eyes from across the table, wanting to kiss him right then and there. “Did you have your heart set on doing anything particular tonight? Or should we just go with the flow?”

“Whichever you prefer.” She admitted. His eyes were still gleaming but she couldn't read his expression which stirs curiosity even more. She reaches across the table to touch his hand. “Thank you... for everything—for all of this.”

“It’s my pleasure.” He slid his fingers between her's as they gaze at each shamelessly. The waiter clears his throat as he places the two bottles down and pours us our drinks into our wine glasses then takes our order.

The hours had gone by fast, the whole night filled with anticipation and a sense of passion. They were nearly finished with their second bottles of wine when Jason rose to his feet and offers out his hand. “May I have this dance?”

She grinned and took his hand as he leads her to the gazebo and pulls her into his arms slow dancing to the quiet classical music. He holds her gently and whispers in her ear sweet nothings for awhile, and after a few dances he kisses her softly and holds her hand as they walk towards the white stone railing that overlooks the lake. Jason leans down resting on the rails and gazed out at the landscape then turning towards her. “We should start making memories and traditions of our own, Steph... Life is too short.” 

“I agree.” 

She said glancing out at the lake and sensing his eyes glued to her. She smirked and looked at him seeing there's something he's wanting to say, something urgent on his mind. “Five years from now...” He started slowly, “will you promise to meet me here again... so we can dance under the moonlight and relive these memories?”

She turns towards him a little, infatuation growing in her gaze. “I'll be there... I promise.” 

He starts to smile, “Good...I'll keep my schedule clear for that date.”

She smiles softly then leans in, meeting her in the middle, pressing their bodies together eagerly to hold each other again while his hands rest against the small of her back and their lips lock together in a few moments of pure passion and lust. 

They were slow to part as he whispers to her in her ear. “I don't deserve you...” She searches his eyes for something to give her the right response, but all she finds is a reason to sympathize. “You deserve the best of everything, Steph... You deserve the kind of man who will be there for you--no matter what... and back you up without limitations... and let you grow,” He caresses her cheek slowly, “without borders... and love you without an end... I want to be that man, Steph... I don’t want to grow old without you.” 

Her eyes fill with tears as Jason steps back and grabs hold of her left hand. “I know a lot of things have happened lately. So I want to ask you again and this time properly... But I need you to be honest... Not just with me but with yourself.”

Her heart starts pounding with excitement as she tries to restrain the glee until after he finishes asking the question. His one hand goes into his pocket as he kneels down and pulls out the ring. The tears start running down her cheek as she loses herself in the beauty of his eyes gleaming up at her, and the question held on his tongue. 

“Stephanie Brown... Would you do me the honor... and become my wife?”

She releases all control over her strong emotions as more tears break free from suppression. She nods, “Yes! Oh my god—yes!”

His face lights up as he slides the ring on her finger then quickly stands up to pull her into his arms in a romantic embrace and kissing her passionately. The moment their lips part he takes the opening to take a deep breath, “I was a little afraid you’d say no this time.” He said as he held her tightly and the tears began to threaten to reveal themselves in his voice. “I know I’ll never deserve you, Steph... But I want to try to.” 

She laughs and wraps her arms around his neck and planting another deep juicy kiss on his lips. “You already do deserve me... We're equaled, Jason—we're made from the same cloth... I'm already one with you.” She said placing a hand on his cheek and staring into his bright green eyes. “And I can't wait to spend the next sixty years with you.” 

“Let’s aim for eighty." He said kissing her again, and the moment their lips part he smiles, "God—we'll be such cranky old people.” 

“You’ll probably still be getting into trouble.” The thought of him old and still up to the same tricks made her chuckle. 

“Your bossiness will probably only get worst.” He said with a laugh that faded into something deeper, something more emotional. He held her tightly still in his arms gazing into her face. “I love you so much…” They both begin to close the space between their lips until they're gently kissing each other, and it quickly arouses more passion inside of them. 

 

~*~

 

Tim was laying on his belly peering through binoculars to closely observe the romantic date Stephanie and Jason were having across the street. He pulls the binoculars down and wipes away a tear, but not because he's moved by the romantic proposal that just took place, but because he's defeated and angry. He shakes his head, “You both suck.” He grumbled to himself in his misery. 

Leaves were crunching from footsteps coming up behind him. He turns around and gasps, but Conner dives onto his belly hushing him, “Shhhhhh.” 

“Conner, what are you doing here?” he said to him quietly. 

“I figured you'd be up to something shady like this. It was rather alarming you turning down a hunt for a serial killer.” 

“Shhhh be quiet. You want them to hear us?” 

“God, Tim. I can't believe you are actually stalking them on their date. Do you realize how messed up that is?” 

“I don't need to hear your criticism. I'm very aware of what I'm doing.” 

“Fine.” He looks over at the couple across the street slow dancing in each other's arms. He pulls out an apple and takes a big bite, the loud crunch draws Tim's scowling eyes. “What? I have a high metabolism.” 

“Could you just chew a little louder?” Tim grumbled and rolled his eyes then looked back over at the two lovebirds in the distance.

They both sat in silence for a long while watching as Jason finally got around to paying the bill and placing a tip on the table. They both hold hands as they head back to the car together. He opened the door for her then goes to the other side and gets in and starts up the car, but they don't pull away yet. Tim looks through his binoculars but can't see anything through the dark tinted windows, so he sighs and watches with his naked eye.

After a few more minutes Jason's car lights go off and the engine shuts down, and they both remain inside the car. “Why aren't they leaving?” Tim asked, peeping through the binoculars again.

“They're probably making out, Tim.” 

“Ugh,” Tim groaned, “remind me never to ride in his car.” They waited in silence for something to change, and after a few more minutes it did; the car started to move around as though someone was crawling around the inside and not more than a minute later it rocks back and forth at a tempo. 

“Oh wow, I think they're getting it on.” 

Tim stares at the car, stunned, denying what he's seeing and searching for another explanation. “Maybe they're just—someone lost their phone between the seats.”

“Oh—ewh!” Conner sang, “Yeah, they're definitely getting it on.” 

Tim's eyes bulge, feeling disgusted by the evidence that Conner took a peek into the car with his super-sight. “Conner! Stephanie's in there naked probably!” 

“No kidding—and she ain't the only one.” He said with a chuckle, causing Tim to revolt and slap him. “Ouch!”

“You can't do that to people,” Tim grumbled.

“You also can't spy on people when they're on a date, but that didn't stop you—now did it?” 

“That's different! I'm not watching them have sex. That is like the ultimate intrusion of privacy!” He glanced back at the car, finding it still rocking back and forth. The intense emotions he's feeling are giving him the urge to vomit so he takes a deep breath and looks over at Conner and finds him squinting his eyes and biting his bottom lip. Tim slaps him again on the back of the head. “Are you still watching them?! See—this is why I didn't invite you to come with me.” 

He rose to his feet and starts walking to the back of the building where he parked his bike. 

“Where are you going?” Conner asked.

“Home. I've seen more than enough.” He said getting on his bike sluggishly. 

“Okay... I'll meet you there.” He said, still staring across the street where Jason and Stephanie are parked. Tim pauses and looks back, no longer caring about Conner, only about everything he saw unfold on the date night Stephanie and Jason had. His eyes began to mist at the thought of it all being lost now.

 

~*~

 

It had grown late, the restaurant was closing up for the night and the last of the staff were turning out the lights, leaving the parking lot dark and deserted except for the sports car that was still rocking under the trees and darkness of the night.

The windows of the car were steamed up from the body heat within, but like a sheer sheet on every window, it provided another sense of protection from any peeping toms prowling about at night—well, any non-meta peeping toms.

The soft feminine voice exhaled heavily as the car came to a still for a little while then Jason laid down beside her, crammed on the back seat of his car and pulling her into his arms and trying to catch his breath. They both look out the back window at the moon outside as it's silver light catches the fog with a shimmer of colors. 

Stephanie rests back against his chest as his arms wrap around hers to hold her and provide warmth. She laces the fingers of her left hand through his and kisses his war battered knuckles then look out the back window again and up at the night sky that is barely visible through the fog. She let go of his hand for a moment to take her finger and draw a heart on the foggy window, then writing her initials on one corner of the heart and his initials at the diagonal corner. He kisses the top of her head and reaches up and writes under the heart a message saying 'I'll always be yours'. He puts his right hand behind his head as they both gaze up at the slowly fading love note.

“And I'll always be yours.” She whispered to him rubbing his hand and arm gingerly and taking notice of the ring on her finger glimmering and reflecting the light of the full moon. She lifts her hand up to admire its beauty as he begins to speak quietly in her ear.

“If you don't like it we can get another one.”

She smiles softly with satisfaction. “No, this one is beautiful in every way possible... And what makes me love it, even more, is that you picked it out for me.” She turns a little to look back at him as his hands move lightly across the skin of her torso. He gazes at her and gently brushes his thumb against her pink cheek, and she brushes an index finger against his lips in a silent worship. 

She leans in giving him another delicate kiss teasing with her tongue, then breaking away to breathe and exhale each other's air with their lips barely touching. She runs her hand down his chest slowly and lays beside him again, with a leg over his hips and resting her head on his shoulder while he comfortingly runs his fingers through her blonde hair. The silver moon trailed across the night sky while their love and lust persisted on through the night; and one word was heavy on their minds: wonderful.

 

~*~

 

Unbeknownst to Jason though, something was going down this same night in another place far from Gotham city. The small door to an apartment opened as Grace Morrison pulls the key out of the hole and shuts the door behind herself and locking it. She slides the purse off her shoulder and turns on the lights then lets her toddler slide down from her hip and releases him once his feet hit the floor. He runs over to grab his favorite toy. “nuh-uh. Clean up your toys. It’s time for bed.”

The toddler whines in disappointment. “Mama, I don't get plays today.” He said turning his palms to the ceiling as if to expose the full truth of the matter. 

“It's non-negotiable, Jay baby, so clean up.”

The toddler grabs his toys and takes them two by two to place in the basket that sits in the corner of the room. Grace sets her things down and smiles watching her baby boy and how fast he's growing up. The buzzing noise coming from her phone grabs her attention. She shuffles through her purse until she finds it then looks up to make sure Jay’s still doing the task requested of him, the boy stops and looks over his shoulder at the balcony door while his mother gets distracted by the new text from another young mother who she met at the women’s group for single moms.

“Mama,” Jay said to her from his seat on the floor in the middle of the family room.

“Hold on.” She types her reply when she hears Jay call again. “Mama, som—thing—jerbee open.” he uttered as clearly as he was capable.

She looks up quickly, her adrenaline already pumping from the translation she got from his gibberish, and to her dismay the little boy is right; the balcony door is standing a crack open. She rushes to a drawer and pulls out a handgun. “Jay, come here.” She said trying to hide the fear in her voice, but the little boy picked up on the low and suppressed emotion in her voice and quickly gets to his feet and races towards her with a fearful look on his face. She pushes him behind her and slowly walks backward-looking in every direction for the slightest sound or creak of movement, slowly making her way to the front door without taking her eyes and peripheral vision off any direction of the apartment. There was a creak of the bedroom door on its hinges, could have been someone or just the wind from the draft coming from the balcony. “Who’s there?!” She demanded an answer but there was no response.

“Mama?” The little boy whined and shook her pant leg to get her attention.

“Shhh,” She urged.

Little Jay walks towards the front of her and steps between her legs and breaks out into a cry of horror, but just before she scolds him for coming out from the protected place behind her, she feels a breeze coming from the left side and behind, the direction the toddler is looking. The thoughts rush through her mind before she could even physically react; thoughts of how she didn’t think about the coat closet behind her as being a hiding place for a waiting assassin.

She begins to turn around ready for battle but a fist meets her in the face knocking her to the floor and causing her to trip over Jay knocking him down with her in the process. She tries to fire her gun but it’s kicked out of her hand by a large steel-toed boot, leaving her hand throbbing from the clash of her hand between the steel of her gun and the aggressor's boot. She tries to get to her feet but is kneed in the head sending her rolling across the floor and dazing her momentarily as she grunts profanity at her many mistakes she's made in under ten seconds of this fight. Her ears start buzzing from the blow to the face that she just received but she still can make out the faint sound of the villain speaking to her.

She rolls to her back but can’t find the strength to get to her feet while her head is spinning. Then the blood rushes back into her head and she regains her hearing followed by clear sight. She sees Jay standing on his knees by her side now, keeping his balance with one hand on her abdomen, she hadn't realized he was even touching her or could have gotten to her side so fast after she had knocked him to the ground. His other hand was reaching up at the intruder, palm facing him as if to tell him not to come any closer. “MAMAAAA!!!” Jay screamed to her, the terror in his voice and the redness on his face from the extreme stress enrages the maternal instinct inside of her for what this intruder is putting her baby through.

She looks back to the tall man in black with the unmistakable long ribbed cape and the devilish cowl with horns on top of his head. He walks towards her slowly, waiting for her to recover from the assault as he finishes dismantling her gun then throwing the remnants to the side. “Grace Morrison. I know who you are, and about your criminal past. But that's not why I'm here... I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.”

She rolls to her side and gets to her feet slowly, trying not to make any sudden moves that would trigger another assault. “Save it, Batman. I have nothing to say to you.” 

She quickly pulls out a dagger and rushes towards him but he dodges the strike as another battle breaks out, him in defense this time. He tries his best not to assault her any further, but he's half distracted with trying not to step on the toddler that is insistent in joining the fight, trying to get the intruder to leave his mother alone. 

Grace dodged another assault from Batman and turned around slicing him in the back with her dagger but the armor shielded him and barely leaving a scratch. Turning on a dime, he tries to punch her but she dodged the assault and manages to lay another punch on him in the teeth. He took it willingly, needing her to get closer so he could end this futile battle and jamming something into her neck then backing up, watching while it instantly takes effect.

She stumbles backward feeling an overwhelming drowsiness coming over her. She stumbles into items that were sitting on the kitchen counter and knocks it over. Her eyesight fades slowly as gravity begins to pull her down, suddenly she's aware of Batman breaking her fall and lowering her the rest of the way down to the floor. The last remaining seconds she has left before going unconscious she spends searching for her crying baby; her maternal instinct is still fighting to protect him and is the only thing keeping her conscious this long. “Jay--” She reaches towards the toddler who's sitting ten feet away from her on the floor where Batman had accidentally stepped on him when the boy tried to bite his leg during the scuffle. Little Jay is still crying hysterically and staring up at Batman as he slowly nears him, taking down his cowl to appear less threatening, then getting down to the toddlers level to check for any serious injuries. Now that he was getting a good look at the boy, he can see the striking similarities the boy has to Jason Todd. 

“Hey, there—don't cry. I'm not going to hurt you.” Batman's voice was soft, soothing, and an octave higher than his talking voice. He tries to reach out but the boy pulls back and looks towards his mother again for guidance.

“Jay—“ She said with a heavy voice.

Batman grabs the boys arm but he pulls away squirming in terror. Batman gets to his feet, pulling his cowl on and walking towards Grace again, so Jay springs into action and kicking him in the heel then grabbing hold of his cape and pulling trying to get him to stay away from his mother. He tried again to bite the armor on Batman's thighs, trying to make a dent but all his little punches and pulls do nothing but induce more empathy from Batman, seeing how hard the little guy is fighting. Grace's eyes are staring and grow increasingly blanketed in darkness as Batman bends over in front of the boy once again, grabbing hold of his arm and trying to calm him down and reassure him that he won't hurt anyone.

Finally, Grace's vision goes black and next thing she knows she’s waking up spread out across her bed and the bedroom light beaming down on her and causing a pulsing headache as she realizes how foggy her memory is. She looks to the window seeing its still dark outside and her toddler is sitting next to her playing with his toy car on top of her body, then noticing she’s awake and smiling down at her. He leans in and cups her face between his two small hands and kisses her on the mouth with a slobbering wet kiss. “There you are!” He giggled and rubbed his forehead against her cheek as he starts to play with a lock of her straight black hair. “That bad guy gone, Mommy.”

She gasps in horror suddenly remembering the events of last night. She pulls the boy into her arms as she sat up. “Did he hurt you?!” She began to cry at the brief thought of the endless possibilities—still puzzled as to why Batman didn't take either of them into custody.

He pats her gently. “I fine, Mommy, I fine.”

She pushes him back to look him over. “Are you sure?... What did he do after I went to sleep?” She asked, but her toddler seems to become preoccupied with a ruffle on her blouse. “Jay? What did he do? Did he touch you or hurt you?”

He glances at her then looks down at her shirt again and starts driving his toy car up the improvised mountain on her chest while making sound effects of the motor on his car. “Good guys gonna getcha badman!” He said and then tries to mimic the sound of a siren going off, and his toy car suddenly has the magical ability to fly. She brushes a hand on his chubby cheek then through his brown wavy short locks watching him as he plays. He pauses and looks up at her. “Mommy, is Badman coming back? I don’t want him—come… I don’t wike him berry much.”

“He’s not coming back ever again. I promise. We are going to find a safer place to live, far, far away from Batman.”

Jay’s eyes turn weepy. “I want to go home,” He sniffled the nonexistent moisture from his nose, trying to influence her, “I want daddy. He nebbers mean.”

Grace had taught him who his father was but she didn't think he had seen Jason often enough to put the name with the face. “I’m going to call daddy right now and tell him what happened, okay?”

The boy nods as she gets out of bed to get her phone. “MOMMY!” Jay screamed abruptly, stopping her in her tracks as she quickly looks back, still feeling a mild sense of adrenaline running through her veins from the event of last night. “Don’t weave me!” He reaches out to her and starts whining. She races back to the bed and picks him up and carries him into the family room. She stops and looks around the place for any clues of something she may have missed while she was unconscious, but nothing seems to have changed.

She finds her phone and opens her contacts which consist of only a total of three contacts. She selects Jason’s name and then puts the phone to her ear. Jay whispers in her other ear. “I want down.” She sets him down and watches him closely as he walks over and starts picking up somethings that had been knocked over then accidentally cutting his finger on a shard of glass. He drops it and examines the wound as blood starts dripping. “Mama.” He holds his hand up high trying to let her see the injury from the distance, then promptly forgets about it and continues to pick up random small objects which were pieces of a broken toy that had gotten stepped on during the fight. 

Jason was still asleep in his bed at the manor when his phone starts buzzing. He rolls to his back and opens his eyes then looks to his side where Stephanie is sleeping beside him with the blanket pulled up to her chest, keeping her decency. He rolled towards the nightstand and grabs his phone. He frowns when he sees Grace's number. 

Grace could hear the ringing crack as a young low and kind whispering voice answered, the familiarity of his voice bringing her comfort. “Hello?” 

“Jason? I’m packing up now and I’m taking the next bus out of here.”

He looks over at Stephanie to make sure she's still sleeping. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Batman stopped by for a visit last night.”

He sits up in bed and swings his legs over the edge, keeping the white sheets over his lap. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, but he sedated me. I don’t know what he was after. Just thought I’d let you know whats going on.”

“Okay, I'll drive to where ever you are heading and meet you there.”

“You don’t need to. I can find a new place on my own.”

“I wasn't asking, Grace. I need to be sure you two are safe.”

“Should have thought of that before you sent us away.”

“Grace--”

“Goodbye.”

“Will you just hold on for a second--” He said in an exasperated whisper then checking over his shoulder again afraid he may have woken up Stephanie, but she's still in a deep sleep. Grace considers what he said but refuses to give an answer, not wanting to give him what he wants after everything that's happened. “Grace, I was wrong before. I want you and Joseph closer to Gotham city—where I can protect you.”

She thinks about it. “No. You were right. Batman is a threat to me and Jay’s well being… If he comes back--If he had taken Jay away from me… I don’t know what I would do, Jason...” The repressed cry is knotting up her throat, and Jason can hear it so he hesitates to speak. 

“I'll meet you at the Cottonwood hotel just outside of Mammoth city. We'll discuss it further. Alright?” He asked but she hangs up the phone and races to pack her things.

Jason sighs and looks at his phone screen seeing the call ended sign. He hesitates to get out of bed, trying to process what he will tell Stephanie of where he's going and why. What lie should he tell her? If not for the fact the little toddler looked so much like Jason he'd feel comfortable saying Grace is just a friend and the boy has no relation to him, but someone would have to be stupid not to see the resemblance. He looks back at Stephanie watching the peaceful and heavenly look on her face as she sleeps. He's stricken with guilt at not being here when she wakes up, especially after the wonderful and significant night they shared together last night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed this chapter leave a kudos and a comment below. And tell me what you thought of this chapter/story.


	25. Opprobrium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is the day after Jason proposed to Stephanie when Bruce made the untimely discovery of Jason's shameful irresponsibility which could be exactly what Tim was looking for to begin subduing Jason. Meanwhile, things are moving along in the temporary and shaky alliance between Roman Sionis and Red Hood, but will the alliance last now that Sionis has discovered a new player on the board?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS: strong language, sexual themes, and violence... and angst. Also, incase it's triggering to anyone, Roman is a bit of a misogynist in this chapter... but, I mean, he is a villain so it seemed appropriate for his canonly sadistic personality. 
> 
> There's also a back flash scene that has some strong violence during part of it so if that kind of stuff bothers you, you can skip when you see this symbol __**__ and pick up at this ~**~ symbol. 
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave your comments and let me know (constructive criticism is also appreciated so feel free to leave your honest opinion in the comments).

A black sports car came speeding down the driveway of the batcave, slightly alarming Bruce to the possibility that there was an emergency situation incoming. The car comes to a stop, the door opens and Jason gets out of it. His demeanor didn't appear as urgent as his high speeds had suggested.

He shuts the door with a bit of a temper in his swing and heads towards the batcomputer where Bruce is standing. “Jason, where have you been? Stephanie's been looking for you all morning.” He said as he came nearer, and to his surprise, Jason greets him by speedily punching him in the face. It threw Bruce off balance and sent him stumbling into the desk behind himself. He looks back at the perpetrator but didn't retaliate, he only wipes away the trickle of blood from his lip. “I probably deserved that.” 

“How dare you, Bruce!” He hissed, his body tensing up as if he's verging on more violence. “You could have just asked me about it! But no! You assaulted Grace—intruded in my affairs—and for what?! Did you really think I wasn't going to hear about it?!” 

“Jason,” Bruce pulls a chair out and gestures to it, “have a seat.” 

He's slightly taken back by the offer, his wild imagination makes up an elaborate list of bad outcomes of putting himself in a vulnerable position. “No,”

“Fine.” He took the seat for himself and sighs, “I ran a DNA test on the child.” 

“Yeah, thanks for stating the obvious.” He took a moment trying to tame the emotions raging inside of him enough so he can humbly ask Bruce what he thinks on the matter. “And?” He shrugged.

Bruce narrows his eyes at him, “Why the hell are you not in that kid's life?” 

Jason groans and starts to pace a little. “The better question is, why the hell do you have to interfere in my life! Can't you just leave me alone?!” 

“No!” 

“Why not?!”

“Because I'm your father!” 

“No, Bruce, you haven't been a father to me since they declared me legally dead." He begins to pace back and forth anxiously, groaning and shaking his head, “I just can't believe Tim actually told you. That snitch.” He slams one fist into his other hand. “Honestly, I don't even know why I'm so shocked by yours and Tim's intrusion. I mean this is the kind of shit you're both known for doing. Yet still, I can't even believe it I'm just so... shocked!”

“You're shocked? I'm shocked with how irresponsible you've been. That's your kid, Jason. Does he mean nothing to you? Not to mention that you had the gal to judge me for Talia asking me to stay out of Damian's life—and here you are!”

“Unlike your situation, Bruce, mine is much more complicated.” 

“Well isn't that convenient. It's still a lousy excuse. You left your kid with a total stranger!” 

“I know Grace well enough. Besides, she needed that baby and I needed a nanny.” 

“That doesn't justify anything!” 

“I know that! But it's the best I could do!” 

“Let's take this down a few notches, I'm not liking your tone.” 

A look comes over Jason like he's restraining himself from leaping towards Bruce and strangling the life out of him. The pressure overwhelms him and so he turns and kicks one of the computer departments. 

“Hey! Watch it!” 

“rrrr—you are so infuriating.” He begins to pace again with a faster speed. 

“You're wrong, Jason, the best you could have done was tell your family about it. We could have helped you through the predicament. But no. You have to do everything by yourself. So now you've left your kid to be raised by an ex-assassin!” 

“First of all, Grace is a good mother!”

“She killed a ten-year-old, Jason! Or didn't you know that?!” 

“She wasn't aiming for the kid, Bruce! It was an accident! It destroyed her.”

Bruce stares at him in disbelief, “Yeah I'm sure that was the case.” 

“I know what she's capable of. And she's not a threat to the boy's life... She needed that boy as much as 'he' needed her... I needed her.” The breath in his lungs finally deflates heavily as his frustration cools down. “I don't have to hide from her what I am, Bruce. I don't have to make up excuses for why I can't keep appointments all the time. I consider myself lucky.” 

“I can't imagine why? It's like you're assuming I don't have plans to hand her over to the police to pay for her long list of crimes.” 

Jason stares at him growing more and more irritated by his threat. “Yeah you do that and I will be forced to stop you.” 

“Is that a death threat? I thought we had moved past that? I thought we were finally making progress in our father-son relationship?”

“Well, I guess there's been some sort of misunderstanding. Because I don't consider myself 'your' son.” He sees the look in Bruce's eyes, a sting of pain, and an overwhelming sense of shame struck him. He may have wanted to get under Bruce's skin but he never meant to get this deep, so now he does the only thing he can to rectify, “I didn't mean that... You were a good dad to me.” 

Bruce shakes his head, “No, you're right, Jason. I failed you—I failed you in a lot of ways. Just look at the way you turned out. I have never been more ashamed of you then right now.” 

Jason's eyes roll slight exhausted that Bruce chose to not accept his remorse but instead add more fuel to the flames. He doesn't care what Bruce thinks of him, it won't change him. Then again, maybe deep down inside he still does care just a little.

“You've rejected every moral I ever instilled in you... And I suspect I still don't know about all the skeletons you stashed away in your closet since your resurrection.” He said glaring then stepping back to grab hold of the folder on the computer desk as if he's about to leave. 

“How I turned out?” Jason shakes his head in disbelief, “I'm sorry you have such a low opinion of me, Bruce, but you taught me everything I know.” 

“No!” He said with a hiss as he nears him then lowering his voice, “No, I didn't teach you this, Jason... Your real father taught you this... I tried to counter his imprint on your life. But apparently, I was too late. You're damaged beyond repair.” He said, then turned his back to head towards the workshop when suddenly he feels the need to get to the bottom of this instead of letting things go unsettled between them, as Jason always prefers to do. “Why?” He asked and turns back around to face him, “I don't even know where to begin to tell you how wrong you are abandoning that boy.”

Jason stares at him tempted to redeem himself in his eyes but more unwilling to expose and defend the little details of his past and his reasons. “Could you just for one second be open to the possibility, that despite what this looks like, I truly am trying to do what's best for the kid?”

“But that's just it. This isn't whats best for the kid. This is what's best for you.” Bruce steps closer to him, “And I'm done protecting you now.” 

Jason frowns trying to figure out what he's even talking about. He's not aware of Bruce protecting him in his personal life post-death. 

“You've broken Tim's heart... I knew he was sneaking off and hanging out with you these last few years. And now, he views you dating Stephanie as the utmost betrayal. I don't know why or what your guys' relationship was like, all I know is you've broken his heart... And let's face it, you're probably going to do the same to Stephanie, too... I'm not going to protect your secrets anymore. Because I doubt you will ever change your ways—in fact, I'm surprised you haven't disappeared on her already, like you usually do to people who care about you.” 

“What are you talking about?” He scoffed. 

“You haven't had the greatest track record. You suppress your emotions instead of dealing with them and then you have a meltdown and run off to do something stupid and unforgivable.” 

“What?... What the hell are you implying, Bruce?” He hissed.

“You know what I'm talking about... I have a responsibility to Stephanie. And to Tim... You can do whatever you want... But I have to withdraw my blessing for you to marry Stephanie... I'm sorry... But you have too much baggage. And until you get your life in order, you don't deserve her.”

Jason studies him for a moment as it sinks in, his anger began to rise quickly by this betrayal. “It doesn't make a difference to me, Bruce.” He turned and heads towards the staircase that leads up to the manor.

Bruce exhales heavily then speaks up again, “I'm not making this decision to try in hurt you. I'm thinking about the boy.” Jason slows to a stop and listens but doesn't look back. “And other reasons... Things I can't talk with you about right now. But what I do know is that there are consequences for your irresponsibility and all your actions... I don't know why you never think of them before you act. So now you're going to have to live those consequences.” 

Jason turned his head slightly over his shoulder in a manner that was mollifying. “I know.” He uttered then continued his course up the stairs to the manor. 

“But do you?” He said nearing the bottom of the staircase and looking up at him, “Tim has pulled Dick into your guy's feud. You're outnumbered, Jason. You might as well face it, painting you as the bad guy will be easy for them. You've provided enough material all on your own. I can't imagine how Stephanie's going to handle it when she finds out just how violent your legacy really is. Much less will she--” He quickly bit his tongue. 

Jason frowns and turns around slowly, “Much less, what?” 

“Nothing, it doesn't matter.”

They stare at each other then Jason looks away and goes up the stairs where the elevator to the manor is located. 

 

 

 

The doors to secret elevator open and Jason walks out into the foyer of the manor. He looks into the lounge room as he passes by. 

“Hey.” 

He heard and looked up to the top of the stairs where Stephanie's leaning on the stair rail in a white bathrobe and a towel twirled on the top of her head. She smiled down at him as he races up to the second floor to meet her.

“Where did you go? I've been trying to get a hold of you all morning?” She said as he pulls her into his arms.

“Something came up. I'll tell you some other time.” He said then kisses her and holds her in his arms.

They were slow to part, then Stephanie opened her eyes to look at him. “It better have been important if you left your bride-to-be to wake up all alone after that wonderful night, last night.” She grinned with stars in her eyes.

“I'm so sorry about that. A friend needed my help. Something happened and I had to pick them up and find them a place to stay.” 

"Are they okay?" 

"Yeah, they'll be fine." 

She falls against his body and laces her fingers behind his neck and smiles. “You should go get a shower so we can lounge around for the day and discuss the wedding plans.”

He rubs his hands up and down her back and smirking down at her. “That sounds good.” 

“Good... I'm dying to tell the family, too.” 

“Oh...” He sounded almost disappointed, “Right.” 

The gleeful look on her face fades as she steps back. “Oh, brother. Let me guess. You're going to ask me to put it off for awhile.”

“No, I was just--could we?... Put it off for awhile?” 

She studies his face and tilts her head a little, remaining patient over the matter, “Jason, you don't need to worry about what the family thinks. I'm sure they'll be happy for us.” She leans in and kisses him again before walking past him to go to his room down the hall. He follows close behind her. 

“Yeah, I don't know about that, Steph.” He mumbled not caring if she heard him or not. 

She opened his bedroom door then turned around and grabbed him by the jacket to pull him in for another kiss then he pushes the door shut behind him. 

 

 

 

There's a tune being whistled from the other side of the kitchen door. It was pushed open and Jason walks in, fresh out of the shower and dressed for the day. He passes by the kitchen table where Tim and Conner are seated. They both look away from him, reluctant to make eye contact.

“Hey, guys,” Jason greeted warmly as he comes to a stop in front of the counter and opens two of the top cabinets in search for mugs. He grabs two black ones and fills them with cream, then glancing over at the boys. “You guys making any progress building your case against me?” 

They both remain silent glancing at him as he adds sugar to one cup and pours the hot coffee into each.

“It's coming along just fine, actually. Thanks for asking.” Tim grumbled. 

He grabs hold of both mugs with one hand and turns around to find Tim watching him and glaring. “What?” He asked, stopping to acknowledge his viciously gazing eyes, then Conner turns around in his seat to look at him, too.

“Nothing.” 

Jason looks back at Conner then back at Tim again and shrugs it off, “If you say so.” He grabs an orange from the fruit bowl and tosses it in the air and catches it with his one free hand then retreats to the other room. All the while, Tim's glaring eyes followed him out of the room. 

Once the kitchen doors swing shut behind him, the two boys grumble their complaints. “Gosh, I hate him so much.” 

“Yeah, me too,” Conner said leaning in. “Did you see how cocky he was? Its as if he thinks he actually stands a chance against us.” Tim frowns and looks at Conner like he just thought of something. “What?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Seriously though. We need to pick up our game, Tim before they actually tie the knot.” He said, already knowing Jason had proposed to Stephanie, since he and Tim had spied on their date last night. 

“I know.” 

“Then what are we waiting for? Let's take action.” 

“I'm just... I'm not sure I can defeat him like this.” 

“You're right, you can't. So why the hell have you been holding back? Unleash your wrath before it's too late.” 

An anxiety comes over him, “I want to but at the same time...” He shakes his head, a little disappointed in himself. 

“What?” 

“I... don't... really want to hurt Jason.” 

“Oh come on, Tim. You know he's got it coming.” 

“I know. I just wish there was some other way to get rid of him without hurting him or Steph.” 

“There's not. You either degrade him in front of his whole family or you lose Steph for good... It's honorable you trying to spare his feelings and all—not that he deserves it. But its just not a realistic goal.” 

He watches him closely as he ponders the two options, searching for a possible third. He suddenly looks back at Conner with a look on his face like something just came to him. He rises to his feet and races up the stairs to his bedroom. 

“Tim?” Conner runs after him. 

 

 

 

In the evening that same day, seven stories high at Black Mask's tower, there was a room filled with men divided into two halves of the space. Roman takes a seat and watches as the dark-haired woman sits down across from him, legs crossed, and her head held high with almost a sly sort of confidence about her presence. Her men stand ready for battle at any moment, their hands resting on their swords and various weapons. 

“So, what brings you to my domain?” Roman asked the woman with that deep gravelly voice of his.

“I've heard rumors on the street of your present circumstances. I've come with a proposition for you.” 

“Is that so?” 

“Yes. There's a group of rogue assassins who have orders to capture or assassinate the Red Hood. But he’s proven to be harder for them to track down than anyone anticipated.” 

“No offense, Miss-- Al Ghul, was it? But what the hell does this have to do with me?” He said pressing all ten fingertips together and bringing them up to his lips as though he's meditating on a thought. 

“You know very well what it has to do with you. You're an independent fraction of the group hunting him, are you not?” 

He tapped his index fingers together then fessed up. “I am. But as you’ve said, he’s very hard to track down. But when I do find him, I want his head platter, or at the very least, I want to blackmail him into submission, make him beg for mercy... But this far I've been unsuccessful.”

“Yes, I know he can be very hard to influence. Which is precisely why I've come to visit you--since you're the leader of part of this manhunt. I am possibly the only person in the world who cannot only find Red Hood but also persuade him.” 

“Listen, Sweetheart. I'm not interested in getting in bed with anyone else right now. I’ve already put a pretty price on Red Hood's head and more and more people are joining the manhunt by the day. I've already got my hands full allying myself with some of these less than honorable scamps. We're already getting close to our goal without your help.”

“'Close' can change in an instance with him. Can you really afford to take that risk?”

Black Mask leans back in his chair considering what she just said. “What exactly are you proposing? Because my gut is telling me you've got ulterior motives here--like you're trying to protect the Red Hood or something by sweet talking me out of killing him. Well, you can save your breath, baby girl. I already made my mind up about you the moment you walked through that door.” 

“Is that so?” 

“It is. I know better than to change my well-thought-out plans just because some pretty braud came in here showing a little leg and asking me nicely to do things her way, no doubt because you're crushing on some reckless hoodlum.”

“Perhaps my English isn't well, what do you mean by 'crushing'?” 

“You see, sweetheart, I know how you women are, fickled, which is precisely why this is a man's world and you women are best kept in the kitchen. If you ladies were left in charge around here there'd be nothing but chaos since none of you ladies are ever willing to get your hands dirty and do the hard things that need to be done." Talia raises her brows slightly surprised by his nervy talk. He continues, "Such as killing the Red Hood. You see, I don't appreciate a woman coming in here trying to tell me how to handle my business. And Red Hood IS my business.” 

She sighed, growing tired of his presumptions. “Are you finished flaunting your superiority complex? Or should I give you another minute to finish processing your chaotic emotions?”

Roman seems somewhat unprepared for her comment, he stares at her. His eyes turn bleaker behind the black skull-like mask not at all amused by his guest's womanly scorning. 

A smirk spreads across her face, “I assure you, Mr. Sionis, I am no subservient woman who can't handle to the pressure. I've been playing in a man's world my entire life. And I am anything but fickle... Perhaps you should reconsider hearing me out. After all, I am the only person in the world who knows how Red Hood really thinks. I know him personally and am responsible for much of his training.” 

“Don't underestimate my patients, Miss Al Ghul. I would consider listening to what you gotta say if not only because you're easy on the eyes, but the offer reeks of desperation. And I don't do business with desperate people. That's when people are most unpredictable. So sorry but no deal. Sooner or later I'll find a way to make Red Hood pay for his crimes. Until then I think you should keep your dainty hands outta Gotham and stop wasting my time—I already know you're planning on backstabbing me the moment I turn around.” His voice was deep and grated as he spins a little in his swivel chair. 

“Your idea is becoming increasingly tempting.” 

He leaned forward on his desk, “Do you know how many of my men Red Hood's killed or bribed into working for him? Way too many. I got a vendetta against this bitch, and not even you could convince me to give it up, even if you got down on your knees for me.”

“My offer is not what you think it is, Mr. Sionis. I'm not here to talk you out of seeking retribution. I'm here to negotiate your timeline.” 

He was silent for a moment then started cackling and leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up on the desk. “Yeah, I got a problem with that. You see, hon, Red Hood is what I like to call a mass murdering sociopath who's bordering on full-fledged psychopathy.”

“And how is that any different from you?” 

He looks at her with an unimpressed expression on his face. “I haven't killed nearly as many men as he has, and I've been at this a lot longer than he has. I care about most of my men. Red Hood, on the other hand, gives no regard for our kind, he sees us as nothing more than a bunch of pigs who are far from going extinct. And that's what makes him the greatest threat to everyone in the underworld. Sure, some days he feels more or less like a hero with that charming personality of his that makes you just want to wrap your hands around that pretty little neck of his and 'strangle' the life out of him.” 

He slammed his balled fist on the table to release that pent-up rage, then falling back into his usual stoic persona. 

“And other days, well… he’s the devil in the living flesh... I’ve been watching him closely since he first started a war with me. And he’s the worst kind of man there is. Not an ounce of respect for his associates. Utterly detached, unpredictable, 'greedy',” He hissed with an extra annoyance, “And he's got a bad case of PTSD!" 

Talia tried to hide the smirk spreading across her face before he notices but the last part was too amusing for her. 

"He's a player—and he's good at the game. That's precisely why I got to take him out and not waste any time doing so. You see, you never know whats going to make him like you and whats going to earn you a bullet between the brows. Kissen his ass doesn't seem to impress him either. Lost a lot of men trying to infiltrate his group with my double agents, every one of them turned up dead. Dead!” 

He growled and paused for a moment thinking about a few examples he could give her. 

“If I didn't hate him so much I would almost admit I'm impressed. Don’t get me wrong, but if I set aside everything he's done to try to fuck me up, then I'll admit I like him on a personal level. Feels like we’re made from the same clay, you know?” Roman strikes a match and sticks a cigar between his lips and lights it. “But he's got a war with me. And I'm not gonna let that punk chase me out of town and destroy my empire. This is my city. And I'm about to remind him of that fact.” 

“You do like hearing yourself talk, don't you?” 

“I'm just trying to explain to you my circumstances. I know what I'm up against facing Red Hood, but trusting a woman who helped train him is absolute suicide. Fact, I have half a mind to decapitate you right here and now for helping make this nutcase into a force to be reckoned with.”

Talia's men begin to draw their swords and ninja star darts sending Roman's men on edge and drawing their guns that had been tucked behind their suit jackets, but Talia raises her hand, calling her men off before it escalates further. “Must you agitate this conversation into bloodshed?” 

Roman leans forward on his desk, narrowing his eyes on her. “If this level of tensity is beginning to be too much for your frail womanly nature, Miss Al Ghul, then the doors behind you.” He said, his voice sounding particularly more gravelly than usual.

His misogyny was finally starting to reach the boiling point for Talia, and the thought of this behavior going unpunished was beginning to look more and more unlikely to remain as such. If any of her father's men had talked to her that way, they would be executed. But this is Gotham city's underworld, a place riddled with corruption and egotistical machos who treat their women more or less like objects than anything else. She can't even imagine how anyone living here, much less interacting with these men, could turn out half decent. Yet somehow she's met two men from this city that are unlike the others. Two she cares deeply for.

“So you do not want to hear me out?” She asked.

“Right on, Princess. I've already got that bitch baited on my hook. As soon as I'm done using him for my own protection I'll backstab him as I've always planned to do. That's called justice, baby girl.” 

“I don't think gaining justice applies to men of your status.” Talia studies him then rises to her feet and leans on his desk. “Be careful where you tread, Sionis.” She said with that all so thick accent. “Red Hood's intuition is almost as keen as one who can see the future. Do you really think he's not expecting you to betray him? Perhaps you should think again if you actually want to survive this war.” She turns and heads for the door, her men following close behind.

“Wait a minute!” He said, raising his voice to recapture her attention. She hesitated to turn back to him. “If I were to accept your help, what exactly could you guarantee me?” 

“Ridding you of this rogue group of assassins.” 

“And how would you do that?” 

“I know who the man is that's hiring them.” 

He thinks about it, “And what are you expecting in return?”

She raises her chin a little, the slightest smirk appearing on her lips. 

 

 

By the time dinner was almost ready, Dick and Tim were the first to arrive in the dining room, eagerly waiting for the meal to be served so they took it upon themselves to set the table in order to speed up the process. That's when Jason and Stephanie walk into the dining room, both holding hands and smirking at each other and talking quietly to one another. 

“Whats going on with you two?” Dick asked. 

Tim looked away from them, feeling the depression set in at the thought of the scenario. 

“Well,” Stephanie grins and looks at Jason, begging and waiting for him to agree to share the news now instead of later. He gives a subtle look of giving in to her desire. She grinned even bigger. “We're engaged!” She flashed the large diamond ring at them proudly. 

Tim and Dick were silent, trying to figure out how they should react. Stephanie's smile begins to fade, seeing how underwhelmed they are for her and Jason. “Yay!” She said shyly in a desperate attempt to remind them to cheer or express some sort of enthusiasm for them. 

Jason's eyes drift down to the floor, the reality of the situation being too painful to watch unfold. He chews on his bottom lip trying to find a way to make this moment special for Stephanie regardless. 

“Uh, yay,” Dick said, somewhat enthused. “Congratulations, Steph.” He said reaching out to give her a hug, and she's slow to accept it. 

“Yeah, congratulations,” Tim said with a look of bitter disappointment, unable to hide his true feelings enough to even bother smiling or hugging her. 

Stephanie studies their expressions and then grabs Jason's hand again, trying to lean on someone for some strength in this shockingly horrible moment. She sees it now, Jason was right to want to withhold this news for a while.

“So when's the wedding?” Dick asked, now cheerfully as he gets used to the idea.

“Um, well, we haven't decided yet. Its just going to be a small wedding—probably outside or something.” Her voice cracked at the last word and then her true emotions bubbled to the surface and the tears welled up in her eyes.

“Aren't you guys kinda rushing it? I mean, you've only been dating a couple months. You barely know each other.” Tim said. 

“We know what we want and...” She paused as she felt the knot in her throat tighten. She tries to regain control over her voice but the tears began to fall. She becomes embarrassed that they're all seeing her in this moment of weakness, so she lets go of Jason's hand and races into the other room and up the stairs to her bedroom. 

Jason watches her then looks back at Dick and Tim. “I'm gonna--” He gestures over his shoulder, “go check on her.” He turns away and heads up the stairs after her. 

He knocked softly on her bedroom door then let himself in and finds her digging through one of her drawers. “Steph?” 

She turned around, her nose and eyes red and moist. “Let's elope.” 

He studies her trying to deduce the situation and whether or not he should take her statement too seriously. “Well, let's think about it more. I mean, maybe they're right, we might be rushing into it.” 

“No, we're not.” She said hastily.

He pauses trying to choose his words carefully, seeing the venom beneath her skin. “You sure?... I want you to have your dream wedding, and I don't want those assholes ruining it for us.” 

“This is what I want, Jason.” She said, then staring at him watching him stay silent as if he's unsure what to say next. “I only want people there who will be happy for us. You were right. They're not happy for us. They never will be.” She said pulling a handful of clothes out of her drawer and setting them on the bed. She grabs a bag out from under her bed and puts her clothes in it. “It's not like either of us know a whole lot of people anyways, so we might as well just get married now. Maybe invite Alfred and Bruce or something.” 

He hesitates before nodding, “Okay... If that's really what you want to do?” 

“It is.” 

“Alright, I'll... go find a judge.” He looks down at the bag she's packing. “Are we moving out too?” 

She looked over at him then broke down into more tears and sat down on her bed. Jason walks over and sat beside her, pulling her into his arms and gently rubbing her back. “I was so excited and they've ruined it for me.” 

“Hey,” He said gently and pressing his lips to the top of her head, “Don't give them that power over your happiness, Steph...” 

“I'm trying not to but I wanted them to be at the wedding.” She said breaking into a sob. “Why couldn't they just fake it or something? Why are they so mean?” She sat up to look at him as though something just dawned on her, “Oh, Jason, I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you.” Her voice was almost frantic while she studied his face for any signs of a broken heart, knowing the reason the boys weren't excited for them. “And now you're feelings are probably crushed because I thought it was a good idea to tell them right away. I'm so sorry,” She said again trying to spare him of any heartache and pressing a hand to his cheek as his eyes began to mist a little, but he tried to shrug it off. All the things that had happened since last night are finally starting to weigh on his emotions, and Stephanie is his sole joy and comfort. 

“It's fine, Steph. They're just overprotective of you.” He said, as she fell into his arms again and closed her eyes, “And I'm overprotective of you.” Her words soothed him in a way he hasn't felt in a long time. He doesn't like to think he needs protection, ever, but it's nice to have someone to lean on, someone to defend him instead of always having to defend himself. 

 

~~

 

Tim opened the door to Bruce's office and rushes in.

“Tim.” Bruce greeted neutrally just before the door slammed shut, capturing Bruce's full attention and dazing him with confusion. 

Tim rests his hands on his desk and leans forward. “How dare you.” 

Bruce sighs exasperatedly that he's going through more drama with another son all on the same day. “What?” 

He slams the stack of papers down angrily. “You deceived me.” 

Bruce glances down at the papers briefly examining them. He sighs and leans back in his seat. “Deceive is a strong word.” 

“I can't believe you!” 

“Tim, take a seat.” 

“I never should have trusted you. I knew you'd try to protect him.” 

“Have a seat. Please.”

“Where is the real test results, Bruce?! Where is it?! I can't believe I trusted you! You're just as immoral as Jason sometimes! Are you really that controlling, that you have to control every single outcome of every situation?! If you don't want to side with me or Jason, as you've claimed in the past, then why don't you just stay the heck out of this feud?! You're not helping the situation!” He leans in more and lowers his voice. “But if you are—then I'd question our relationship status if I find out you're helping Jason. Do I have to remind you that I was put in a coma for weeks for protecting him? And look how he repaid me! By stealing my girl!”

“Will you sit down, Tim!” Bruce yelled as he sprang to his feet impatiently. Tim stares up at him for a moment, slightly surprised by his outburst. He sinks down into the chair, and a moment later Bruce reclaims his own seat and rubs his brows. “She wasn't your girl—so stop calling her that... I know you have reasons to doubt my loyalty to you, but I had to be sure of all the outcomes before I let you run off with this demoralizing information.” 

“Oh, that definitely makes me feel better.” 

“Tim, I'm sorry you're perceiving this as me taking sides with Jason. But I'm not.” Tim rolls his eyes, his tongue pressing against his teeth impatiently. “The only side I was taking was Stephanie's.”

Tim's scowl softens slightly, “Stephanie's side? Isn't that indirectly Jason's side?” 

“No?... not necessarily.” 

“Then what do you mean?” 

He lets out a slow frustrated sigh while he rubs his forehead then folds his hands together and hides his lips behind them, trying to pick his next few moves carefully. He settles for something simple; “Don't you know?...” 

Tim leans forward a little, intrigued with this new mystery set before him, he already knows Jason's sick, but he can't figure out what else he could be implying. “Know what?”

“Think about it.” He leans back in his chair, “I'll be here when you figure it out. Until then, please don't do anything I won't approve of.” 

“Why can't you just tell me?” 

“Because I cant.” 

He studies him searching for the answer to the mystery in his eyes. “So where are the real test results?” 

“The kid wasn't there.”

“What? He wasn't there? You checked all the rooms, didn't you?” 

“Yes. And the place was deserted as if they knew we were coming. I presume Jason hid them somewhere far from Gotham.” 

“So what do we do now?” 

There was the slightest pause as Bruce crafted something up. “We keep searching for her and the kid.” He said, even though he already found them both and ran DNA tests on them. “That is if you really are dedicated to this crazy pursuit of yours?” 

“Of course I am.” 

“Okay then. You know how to find people... Find her.” 

Tim nodded then rose to his feet and walked to the door before stopping and looking back. “Please don't ever try to deceive me like that again, Bruce... I don't know if I have it in me to forgive you next time.” He turned and shut the door, leaving Bruce alone with his guilty conscious. 

 

 

“Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long?” Jason said as he joined Roman and Corvy at a booth in a small quiet diner. Roman wasn't wearing his mask today, feeling comfortable enough to leave his business wear at home.

“No problem, Red, you're only,” He looks down at his watch, “Two hours and fifteen minutes late.” 

“Yeah... Stuff came up I couldn't postpone.” 

“Its no problem.” 

“Yeah, it's only our lives at stake.” Corvy, the big brute of a crime Lord, hissed from across the table. 

“Did I miss anything important?” 

“Nothing really. We've just started discussing the plans a minute before you walked in.” Roman said, uncharacteristically chill over the matter. 

Jason stares at him trying to suppress the frustration bubbling up inside. He tried to bite his tongue but it was too much to keep inside. “Then what the hell have you been doing for two hours?” He hissed.

“Chit-chatting.” 

Jason rolls his eyes impatiently, huffing and puffing under his breath in resentment over their pathetic work ethics. He had purposely shown up late to avoid wasting time going over nonessential information that he pegged Roman and Corvy would be fond of lingering on, and here they are waiting for him to show up. Jason pulls out a canister from his jacket and took a drink to loosen him up a bit, knowing this is probably going to be a long next few hours of planning beginning to victory. “So, tell me everything you both know about our mutual nemesis. Is there anywhere he likes to hang out? How many people are helping him? And aside from being smart, what exactly are his capabilities?”

“Well, he's good with a sword and he appears to be a pretty powerful wizard, maybe more powerful than Zatana?” Corvy leans forward on the table, “And as far as I know there's no finding him unless he wants to be found. He has no problem finding me, though, even when I've changed my plans at a moments notice. To tell you the truth, it creeps the hell out of me.” 

Roman cracked a pistachio open and tossed the shells onto the empty plate in front of him. “That's sorta our dilemma. We can't really plan a way to take him down unless we know which environment we have to work in. Also doesn't help that we don't know what kind of wands he's got hidden up his ass.”

Corvy nodded eagerly to add more. “Another thing that makes him particularly dangerous is that he's a lot like you, Red Hood. He's an expert at choosing just the right guys to buy off. Got spies infiltrated into every crime empire in Gotham city, in pursuit of having an ear out for your whereabouts, no doubt. God only knows what the actual number of men he has working for him is by now.” 

Roman glanced over at Jason again, rubbing his finger on the outside of his coffee mug. “That's where you come in, Red. You're the best master tactician here in Gotham. We need your expertise on infiltration. You know what to look for to hunt down rats among your men. We were hoping you could extend that generosity to our men too.” He said, his gravelly voice somewhat softer than usual.

“Or—like I suggested earlier,” Corvy started, “We could skip all that candy stuff and just cut the head off the snake. I'm sure that will rid us of this pest infestation.” 

“Personally I think Corvy's plan is too optimistic. Easier said than done. I'm willing to take the slow but safer route. Rid myself of disloyal. But what do you think, Red?” 

“I really hate to say it... but I agree with Corvy. Tracking down the rats will most likely spook him and backfire, assuming this guy is as paranoid as you both have claimed.”

“So what do we do?” 

“Give me two weeks. I'll get you the location of this guys home base.” 

“And how are you going to do that?” 

“I have my ways.”

Roman and Corvy glanced at each other knowingly. “Fine, Red, as long as you don't kill any of 'my' men without my stamp of approval first.” 

“No. You either give me full liberty to use whatever means necessary to get the job done, or this conversation is over, and we can all go back to fighting this battle separately, because I'm not going to have the both of you complicating matters by getting in my way and whining.” 

Corvy crossed his arms skeptically, sneering and showing his grail teeth not at all liking the sound of his offer. “You think we're stupid, kid? We're just gonna give you free roam? No deal.” 

Jason looked to Roman waiting for his response. 

“You realize what you're asking us, right? You're asking us to trust you to be an honest and honorable man, and do what ya say you're gonna do and not double cross us for your own personal gain.”

“I know what I'm asking isn't easy. But we both know its fair if I'm going to be the one doing all the legwork, you both need to pitch in by making sure Batman and any others who have war with me stay the hell out of my way. That's not much to ask. You're both more than capable.” 

Roman looked over at Corvy as he thinks it through. 

“Don't be stupid, Roman. He's trying to trick you into thinking he's extending a hand of friendship and respect.” 

Roman looked across the table at Jason again, studying him carefully. “He's right, kid. Maybe I should just let you do your own work and we'll do ours.” 

“Like I said at our last meeting. I'll outrun him. And once he takes you and Corvy out for being liabilities, then I'll take him out. And Gotham will be restored to order.” 

“He's bluffing," Corvy said leaning into Roman's ear, "He ain't capable of tracking down this lunatic, much less taking him out all on his lonesome.” 

“Would you like to bet on that, ferger?” Jason said with a slight sneer.

The brute leans forward glaring, “How about this plan? Why don't you get down and suck my dick, Red Hood?” 

“Do you damsels want my help or not?” Jason pressured with a bored expression on his face. 

Roman sighs and leans on the table trying to decide. 

“Are you seriously forgetting who this fucker is, Roman? He's been aiming to fuck you in the ass from the very beginning. He can't be trusted with the power he's asking for."

"I know," Roman grumbled. 

Corvy looked back at Jason, "We help you every step of the way, monitoring your actions and plans, or there's no deal.” 

Jason looked over to Roman again waiting for his response. 

“You have one week, Red. One week to find the rock this guy is living under... If you disappoint me I'll kill you myself.” 

“One and a half. That's as low as I can go.” 

He considers how much that could increase the risk of getting back-stabbed, but he has a part to play. “Fine. One and a half.” He reached a hand across the table to shake on it. Jason accepted the truce. “Don't make me regret this, kid. I'm not the forgiving type.”

“Neither am I.” Jason said, his eyes formed a certain look about them, like he's doubling down on his statement that he doesn't trust Roman to any degree.

Whatever it was Jason was thinking at that moment, it gnawed at Roman's nerves. Was it fear and anxiety he felt? Or was it conviction? Despite Red Hood's cruel deeds, he's still a thinking and feeling young human being, and there wasn't that look of ice-cold logic in his eyes (as one would expect) that would make it easier for Roman to dislike him. There was an ocean of intense emotions buried just beneath his surface. And that's what makes him so dangerous, you can't predict him. He was everything, and nothing, all bundled up into one sack of flesh and bones. 

The thought of leading him to his demise, though, was becoming more unappealing the more time he spent with him. Maybe if he lost the helmet when he killed Roman's man, he could more easily put the face with the bad deeds. But something about Red Hood aroused a sense of nostalgia in him, maybe it's just the look in his eyes, reminds him of someone or something. You don't come across that look in the eyes very often, that unique blend of being battle worn, chronically exhausted, and an inward gentleness in spite of all his transgressions and brutality; it almost beckons Roman's sympathies. Almost. 

“Yeah, don't worry, Roman, I'll be sure to go to your funeral,” Corvy said glaring at the young man sitting across from them. He pushed his empty dinner plate to the middle of the table and slid out of the booth, “I'm gonna get another round. Don't wait for me, boys.” He heads over to the counter to order but starts picking up conversation with one of the waitresses. 

Jason suddenly had the sense that he was being watched. He looked around the diner and saw no one was looking in his direction. He looks back at Roman then outside the window and that's when he sees a dark figure across the street in a trench coat and hat, standing in the shadows and facing the diner. Jason looked back at Roman, “Were you and Corvy careful no one followed you here?” 

“Careful as I could be. Why?” Roman leans forward and looks out the diner window but sees nothing, the figure had already went on his way. “Did you see something?” 

“Seemed like someone was watching us.” 

“Maybe it was just some random dude prowling around at night... I was careful, Red.” Roman glanced back behind himself to get the location of Corvy before he looks back at Jason again. “So... mind looping me in on why you don't like Corv very much?” 

Jason frowns a little, “I never said I didn't like him.” 

“I'm not blind, Red. Your body said it all the first time you met him.” 

He opened a small package of sugar to add to his black coffee then glancing up at Jason again. He watches as the young man skillfully conceals all emotions on the matter then looks out the diner window at the sight of rain falling visibly in the dark under the street lights. 

“You know, back before Corvy was anyone special, he used to run a fighting ring, among some other shady things.” Jason looked back at Roman, “He eventually expanded his horizons and started recruiting kids for the ring. Young ones, too... I'm talking teenyboppers.” 

Jason's eyes drift over to the object of their conversation who has his back to them at the other end of the diner, still chatting a waitress's ear off. 

“Street rats mostly. One's he thought no one would miss... People pay good money to see blood and violence. They pay even more to see two children beating each other to a bloody pulp. It's sick if you ask me... Sure I enjoy the gore as much as the next guy, crave it even, but I don't particularly when it's children shedding blood... Corvy made a lot of money for himself doing that business. He's what you call 'filthy' rich.” 

Roman studies Jason's face carefully, and continues the story, keeping his eyes wide open to avoid missing any hints on Jason's face that might reveal his past. 

“I hear he even sold some of them. Made more selling kids than selling adults. Some have argued Corvy's got a few screws loose. But if you ask me... I think he's just a sadist.”

“Yeah, I don't doubt that,” Jason mumbled, still watching Corvy standing off in the distance. 

Roman looks back at Corvy again, chewing another pistachio and taking his time evaluating Jason's input. “If you knew that about him, why haven't you done something about it? Thought you got all triggered when you see kids being mistreated?” 

Jason is silent as his eyes look back towards Roman but he doesn't answer the question.

“So, is it some level of Stockholm syndrome then?” Jason's brows furrow wondering why he would assume such a thing. Roman leans forward on the table a little. “Were you one of his kids back in the day?... Despite your circumstances you felt some sort of bond with him?” 

His words got Jason's blood pumping and he couldn't speak, in fear Roman would hear shakiness in his voice. He doesn't know what's happening to his body, why he's losing all his strength, his chill. He's not even recalling those memories, but the fear of them coming back to mind was nerve wrecking.

Roman looks down, seeing his one hand that was resting on the table clenched into a ball, clearly feeling stressed by his questions. Jason becomes aware he's giving away a tale sign so he casually moves his hand under the table as Roman looks into his eyes and leans back in his chair, getting the answer he was expecting.

“Were you in the cockpit or was it worse than that?” He notices that he's perspiring now but the expression on his face hardly tells anything. “Why haven't you killed him, Red?... You're bothered by drugs being sold to kids, but you haven't gone after a guy much worst? Makes no sense if you ask me.” 

“Look, Roman, I don't know why you're so positive there was some kind of history between me and Corvy. There's not. I've never met him before until you introduced me to him at your office.” 

Roman's dark eyes were piercing through him, not seeming to be doubting his belief. “Don't lie to me, Red... It's unflattering on you.”

Jason rolls his eyes in annoyance.

“So how did he get you? Did he pay you or something?” 

It took not more than a second of silence to unwillingly tune out the faint voices of the last few customers in the diner and the static-like noise of the rainfall outside his window grew into something loud, something real, and it turned into a loud rumble of a thousand battle cries. The whistles and the clapping and screaming, it was all so haunting and overwhelming. Even to this day, those memories can take over you like some demonic possession, and you become a passenger in your own body.

 

\--**--

 

The pounding in his chest seemed to echo inside him and the fear was overwhelming as his instinct to survive was pumping through his body. The bright hot lights shined down on him reminding him that he's set on display. 

“Are you sure that boy's twelve, Corvy? He can't be in this group level if he's under twelve. It won't be a fair fight.” A director said to him over the noise of the enthusiastic crowd. 

“Of course he's twelve! He's just a little short for his age.” 

“Yeah, I don't know about that. He looks way too young to be twelve.” 

Corvy looked at the man and shoved him away as the battle was being set to begin. 

A fourteen-year-old boy stood a few meters from his opponent yelling taunting things that the boy couldn't make out over the audience. He curled his fingers into a fist as a desperate means to control his shaking limbs. He knew he was probably going to die tonight, but he'd be damned if he died not giving it his all. 

He and his opponent met close to the middle of the ring to size each other up and wait for the ding of a bell. He had many fights earlier that day and his natural athleticism helped excel him to the top. But today Corvy thought it was a good idea to press his luck after all the winning streaks they've had recently. As soon as his prize winner had achieved all the levels he needed to graduate to the next level, Corvy wasted no time getting his boy into another fight, ignoring the lad's exhaustion and plead to retire for the night. His confidence in the 10-year-old fighter was so strong that he didn't care if the next level meant he would fight against kids a half foot taller and stronger than him. Jason had beaten boys that were bigger than him plenty of times before, but they were all at the beginner level like he was.

The experienced opponent was already celebrating his soon to be won victory. This fight was like none Jason had ever done before, fighting to the death was permitted, in fact, it was encouraged if you wanted a lofty bonus reward at the end of the night, and there was always one opponent pining for that reward. 

“You'll do great, kid! Beat the life out of him!” Corvy hollered to him from the sidelines. The bell dinged and the moment he looked back at his opponent a fist met him in the face sending him somersaulting backward before regaining his grounding. He looked up and wiped away the gush of blood coming from his nose then the teenager charged him for another strike.

Throughout the battle, Jason constantly found himself in a headlock, being restrained and then pummeled on by the teen boy, but he wasn't about to surrender and go out calmly. He'd defend his life to the very end, it wasn't so much of a choice as it was an overwhelming instinct. 

About 30 minutes into the fight, the teenager decided that playing with his food had gone on long enough and increased the level of violence, it was no longer about show, it was about spilling blood. Jason did the only thing he could, he kept moving, constantly moving around the cage in circles trying to get his assault in without having damage done to himself, but his opponent was skilled, strong, fast, and fearless. But why wouldn't he be? The boy weighed 60 pounds more than him. 

It wasn't long before he took another punch to the face that landed him on his ass, and with that, he didn't get back up, he laid there hearing the cheers intensify with the climax. He was beaten badly and couldn't see out of one of his eyes from the inflammation. There wasn't anything else he could do, he had left a third of the injuries on his opponent, the hope of winning this battle drifted further and further away from him, and he simply couldn't find a reason to keep fighting, he was only prolonging his suffering.

He had survived for two years now in the ring, his parents had stopped questioning his absences and the bruises he'd come home with which he always blamed on kids in the neighborhood (since he wasn't in school any more). This battle and secrecy was exhausting, he had wanted to tell his parents the truth so many times, but he feared the punishment he'd reap for signing a contract, and though at the time he didn't fully understand what he was signing, Jason Todd was still a man of his word. So he found it safer to stay in the fighting ring than face the raft of his father and being disowned, never to see his mother again. But today he regretted those past decisions more than anything, he never thought it would come to this, when he lost all sense of self and was nothing more than someone else's livestock to showed. This was one of the worst ways he could think of dying: surrounded by people who are only amused by his suffering, and the cocky offender was eagerly cheering them on more. 

Jason looked to his side as his ears began to buzz as if he was about to go unconscious, he could see the six and a half foot brute of a prematurely graying man yelling at him with a venomous anger and hatred worn on his leathery face. “Get up, you dog! Get up! You know how much money I bet on you! Get up and murder him!” 

The boy tried to respond but he couldn't find his voice. He turned his head up staring at the blurry lights above him as the tears began to spill down his temples, no longer caring to be aware of where his impending danger stood, he just waited and embraced the end. But then someone grabbed hold of his arm, cradling him and leaning over his face. He was expecting it to be Corvy but it wasn't, it was a dark haired woman. She was speaking to him but her voice was barely audible over the roar of the crowd. She brushes her hand against his cheek and leans in more, finally, his eyes could focus on the contours of her face. She was beautiful. Her long silky hair was swept to one side, her big hazel eyes were mesmerizing, and her elegance was that of a goddess.

She spoke up again as the buzzing in his ears began to subside. “Don't give up. You can win this fight, but you have to get back up right now.” 

He mumbled 'no' but he wasn't sure if she heard him, considering he couldn't even hear himself. 

“Yes. You will win this fight.” She forced his limp body to sit up as she leaned in towards his ear, her soft and fairly low voice made it hard to distinguish from the rumble of the crowd. “Hit him in the throat as hard as you can. That should give you a few seconds to gauge his eyes out.” She pulled two of his strongest fingers out straight and pushed them close together to show him the hand position that would be most effective. “Just like you're going to punch him in the face, just aim for his eye. It will bring him down. Then finish him by breaking his neck from behind by pulling at an angle as hard as you can until you hear a crack.” 

“Wha--? I—c—can't.” 

“You can.” She said with a confidence in him he didn't have in himself, “You will.” She pulled him to his feet and once he's able to stand on his own she shoves him in the right direction. “Go!” 

The world was spinning around him making it difficult to find where his opponent was standing. Not before long his opponent made himself known with another punch to the face. Jason stumbled backward but before he fell he felt someone push him forward, the woman, he presumed. He uses the momentum of the push to fuel his arm in striking his opponent in the jaw. Before he could recover he punched him again, this time hitting the target in the throat. His opponent grabs his own throat then collapsed on the floor, struggling to breathe. 

“Gauge!” He heard a woman's voice yell to him from the sidelines and he didn't hesitate or think it through, he just did it out of fear of the alternative: the teenager's vengeance. He races forward and knees his opponent in the nose, he grabbed him by the neck and positioned his fingers ready to poke his eyes out but he knew he was to shaky to hit the target so he jumped on his opponent and stuck his thumbs into his eye sockets. There was a brutal cry of agony followed by the loud uproar of the crowd; instead of hearing their sympathy he heard words of amusement from the crowd relishing in the brutal act they've just witnessed. 

He watched as his opponent squirmed on the ground cursing him. He turned to Jason as if he could still see him, the bloody eye sockets staring at him was burning into Jason's memory and the realization of what he had done had intensified. His opponent lunges forward, being directed by his boss in what direction Jason was standing, and pulled Jason to the ground trying to repay the act of blinding him too. The older boy was too strong for him and he couldn't let go of either wrist in fear he'd lose an eye. Suddenly survival mode kicked in again his instinct directing him to use any means to survive. He lifted his head up and bit the teenagers fingers, the shock and pain of it gave him the opening he needed to shove him to the side and then mounting him and forming a headlock. 

He tries to pull as hard as he can to snap the bones in his neck, but it was much too difficult, so he does the only thing he can, he holds on to him tightly to cut off his air supply. His opponent reached up behind himself aiming to gouge out his eyes again and nearly succeeding a few times, leaving scratches all around the boy's bruised eyes then suddenly, the teenager began to grow weaker as his hands clutched the arm around his throat and he started to fade until his body went limp. Though he was motionless, Jason was still too afraid and angry to let go so he kept his armed locked around his throat. He heard the bell ding and the crowd went crazy with excitement, he felt someone slapping his shoulder telling him to let go and the moment he did they pulled him off his victim, yelling praises to him, but he was too dazed to fully be aware of what he's done and what's happening, he was zoning out the reality of the situation. 

Corvy turned him around shaking him, yelling, and smiling. “You did it! You fucking did it! I knew you would! Oh my god, kid! You actually beat that motherfucker! Awww boy, if we keep winning like this I'm going to be a billionaire!”

Corvy stood up and spoke to one of the judges, leaving Jason there beside the corpse, and that's when it began to register with him what he had done. He stares at the hollowed out eyes of the teenager laying in front of him, the image engraving and torturing him then and forever after that. He would live on to see worst violence, but this one haunted him the most. This was when his life changed forever more. And he could never get that innocence back. It would be a slow thing, the diminishing repulsion to violence, and it molded him into something different, something less innocent. 

The boy drooped his head down, resting hiss bruised and bloody hands on his thighs, and broke into a sob of sheer anguish, the pain of what he's done was unbearable. And he could see no future of this misery ever leaving him. 

His eyes lifted up and across the fighting ring in front of him, he saw the woman that saved his life, silently and sympathetically watching him. Her eyes finally broke away from his as a man tugged on her arm and escorted her away from the scene, but she looked back once more and regrettably left the boy to his fate.

 

~**~ 

 

The sound of the raindrops hitting the windows of the diner echoed the sounds of his memories still. He could feel tears threatening to reveal themselves in his eyes then becomes aware of Roman staring at him, patiently waiting for something to be said, knowing full well that something was going through the young man's head, the blank staring expression suggested so. “I... I um... What was the question?” He said quietly.

“I asked how Corvy got you.”

“He didn't... I don't know what you're talking about.” His words were calm and fairly slow.

“You don't?” He said leaning forward and studying Jason's face. “What are you afraid of, Red?”

Jason looked up at him, “I--... I'm not afraid.” 

“So you're just traumatized.” 

The tears stung Jason's eyes again so he looks away from Roman and tries to obscure his eyes by looking down at the table. He didn't want to tell him anything, but at the same time, he did. “I, uh... I ran away from home because I thought my dad was the worst person in the world.” His mind thinks about all the things he experienced after leaving home, after meeting Corvy, and after his departure from him. He blinked a tear from his eye. “I was wrong...” 

Roman studies him for a moment with a growing sense of sympathy seeing how broke up the young man of war is over it, even a decade or so later. “How did you get out of there?” 

The tears drip from his eyes but he quickly wipes them away as a desperate attempt to hide the trail they would leave behind.

Roman hesitates then speaks softly. “Did you ever tell anyone?” 

Jason cleared his throat and wiped some moisture from his face, “Um, hey, I just remembered I have something to do tonight. Uh, I'll see you later.” He said sliding out of the booth and heading for the exit. 

Roman sipped his black coffee and stared at the empty seat in front of him where Jason had been sitting. Not even a minute later Corvy comes back and takes Jason's seat across from Roman. “Where's he running off to? Don't we have more to discuss?” 

“He had something important to take care of,” Roman said. 

“What did you say to him?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Really? Cuz he looked pretty upset.” 

Roman gazed outside at the rain falling and sees the young man in a leather jacket disappearing down the street into the darkness of the night. 

Corvy stopped eating his food to watch Roman for a moment, “Something bothering you too?” 

Roman looked back at the brute, “No," He said in a gruff voice. "I just figured something out about Red Hood, is all.” 

“Oh yeah? What would that be?” He stuffed his face with more food.

Roman dabbed his ashes from his cigar into the ashtray and then inhaled a few puffs and blows it out, pondering his own thoughts. “He's a fucking tragedy.” 

 

~~

 

 

Back at the manor, Dick was about to leave the batcave to go Nightwinging around Gotham city when he heard the motor of a car pull into the batcave. He looked over to see who it was. Jason got out of his car, appearing to not have been working tonight; hence the casual wear. He headed up the stairs to the elevator as Dick set his escrima sticks down and goes up the stairs after him. “Hey, uh, Jason!” Jason looked over his shoulder as he jogged up the steps towards him. “Got a minute?” 

He pushed the button on the elevator. “I have thirty seconds.” 

Dick nods studying his face after seeing how distant he's being, but the long gaze gives Jason the impression he's seeing some kind of residue of tears having been spilled earlier in that hour. “I just wanted to apologize for earlier today. I am happy for you and Stephanie. I guess I was just a little shocked.” 

Jason studies him but doesn't voice his thoughts.

“I just wanted you to know that... I really wasn't trying to hurt either of you by my delayed enthusiasm. I was just thinking about--” 

“It's fine, Dick.” He said as though he has no feelings on the matter, he doesn't even appear to be holding a slight grudge. 

Dick frowns, wanting to believe it but discomforted by Jason's slight aloofness. “Really?” 

“Yeah.” The doors to the elevator open and Jason steps in and looks back as he presses the button and the elevator doors shut. 

The elevator starts going up to ground level when he pulls out his cell phone and sees a new text message from a private number that read, “Red, I wasn't sure if you'd prefer a phone call but I wanted to ask you if we could meet up again sometime this week or next. I have something I'd like to disgust with you. Privately.” 

Jason squints his eyes as he considers it and types, “Yeah, don't call me. I'll call you.”

Roman instantly replied to his text. “Does that mean 'no'?” 

Jason put his phone into his pocket and right at that moment, the lights start flickering in the elevator. He looked up at the lights when suddenly the elevator comes to a screeching halt. It was pitch black and deathly silent, the only thing he could hear was his own breathing in the stillness of the small enclosure. “Dammit.” He muttered to himself and tried to find the lever to pull and restart the elevator. There were popping sounds outside in the elevator shaft as though it was bordering on restarting. The lights began to flicker again with a buzzing sound of the electricity racing through the bulbs. He felt a chill run down his spine, and the overwhelming sense of being watched came over him. 

The lights turned off again and more creaking and popping was heard in the shaft of the elevator, he could feel the vibrations of the sounds as if someone was tapping on the elevator it's self. Suddenly, the lights turned on with a steady beam, but the elevator still failed to start its course. He exhaled heavily and pressed buttons and pulling the lever again, trying every trick he knew to get it to restart. “I don't have time for this.” He grumbled under his breath and pulled out his cell phone when the lights started flickering again and his senses told him that someone was standing behind him. He turned his head a little to glance behind him and saw a dark figure down low to the ground. He turned quickly to get a good look and a small pale boy was standing in the corner and looking up at him through his lashes. 

“Ah!” Jason gasped and stumbled backward into the opposite corner of the elevator in sheer terror. His heart was pulsing hard in his chest as he stares at the small ghostly dark-haired boy that is staring back at him, showing no sign of fear but of menace. A smirk spread across the child's face like he knew something dangerous. His eyes were almost haunting in itself, but there was something familiar about his image. Jason froze pressed up against the corner of the elevator as he stares at the small boy wide-eyed and forgetting to breathe, knowing in the pit of his stomach, whatever he was, he wasn't human. 

The boy began to hum a tune to himself with an all too practiced nod of his head and smirked again, “Found. You.” He said, his small voice leaving an eerie sound. The lights started flickering again, intensifying Jason's anxiety, and then the boy vanished between the flashes of light and dark.


End file.
